Underneath it All
by Sagitarious Devil
Summary: In highschool, reputation is important to some. However, could it be possible for one who cares so much about it to give it up for a person he cares about? Kenshin, she is not a loser. KK. slight OOC. AU.
1. Hate at First Sight

Hey People!!! I haven't written anything for a long time now! Well, anyways, this story basically happens during highschool. Kaoru is an average "Ms. Perfectionist" (except when if comes to cooking) along with her best friends, Misao and Megumi. Kenshin is HOTTEST guy in school. Him along with his main best guys, Sano and Aoshi. One day Kenshin, Sano, and Aoshi are moved into the "not-as-popular-people" class, where it becomes hate at first sight with Kaoru and her friends. Will, they stay that way forever? Or will love blossom. Read and find out.

  
  


Underneath it All- Hate at first Sight

  
  


Disclaimer: Why the hell are you lookin' at me??!! I don't own anything! STOP STARING AT ME!!!

  
  


~*~*~*~*~**~~*~**

  
  


Kaoru woke up bright and early that brand new Monday morning. It was the first day of school. She took a quick shower, got dressed, ate breakfast, and left to meet Megumi and Misao at the traditional bus stop.

  
  


*Meanwhile*

  
  


Kenshin lay as dead as a log in his bed. BRRINNGGG!!! BBEEEPPPPPPP!!!! BRRRRINGGG!!! his alarm clock just set off. Kenshin opened one eye lazily and glared at it.

  
  


"Damn, piece of shit" Kenshin mumbled as he sliced it in half with his sword.

  
  


(*Nani?* He has his sword??!! Well, duh, what does it say?! Ya, well, Kenshin is the captain of the sword fighting/martial arts club at school. I know there's no such thing, but this is my fic!! MWAHAHAHA!!!)

  
  


Kenshin rolled off his bed with a quick 'plop'. He got up and walked to the bathroom to do his morning business (No, not THAT morning business you perverts out there know what I mean)

  
  


After he finished, he walked out and put on a black t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and put his hair up in a high ponytail. Taking one last look at the mirror, he smirked and thought 'Kenshin, you are soo hot!'. He grabbed his backpack and left without eating his breakfast. (Oh ya, just to tell you, I'm making Kenshin the rich popular type ok? Don't get mad!)

  
  


~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~

  
  


"Sit" said Professor Hiko. "Everyone, some people have been switched around to different home rooms, you may have noticed that we are missing some students from last year's home rooms". Everyone looked around and noticed some of the old empty seats.

  
  


"Anyways, the new people that will be taking there places are Himura Kenshin, Sagara Sanosuke, Shinomori Aoshi, and Seta Soujiro, ". The four boys walked in glaring at all the 'losers'. "Himura, you can sit behind Kaoru, Sagara, you can behind Megumi, Shinomori, you can sit behind Misao, and Soujiro, you can sit next to Shinomori. (Just to tell you, the formation is like this 

  
  


Some kidSome kidSome kidSome kidSome kid

  
  


Some kidSome kidSome kidSome kidSome kid

  
  


Some kidSome kidSome kidSome kidSome kid

  
  


Some kidSome kidSome kidSome kidSome kid

  
  


KaoruMegumiMisaoSome kidSome kid

  
  


KenshinSanosukeAoshiSoujiroSome kid

  
  


~*~

  
  


Kenshin walked to his seat, slightly dragging his feet, with his backpack hanging on one shoulder. Kaoru looked up and saw him. His eyes were glaring at her, burning a hot amber. He took his seat and put on his discman. The music on full volume, so Kaoru could hear it well. She looked around noticing that everyone, but Kenshin and his friends, was paying attention the teacher and could not hear the music as well as her. 

  
  


'Geez, are they deaf or something?! Seriously, he could at least turn it down a bit' She thought. She turned her attention back to the teacher, but the music just kept distracting her. 'If he doesn't turn that piece of shit down soon, I will!' she gritted her teeth. She could barely make out what the teacher was saying. She was gonna crack and second now. She bit her lip and turned to Kenshin.

  
  


"Hi, could you turn that down a bit, I'm trying to hear the teacher" she asked politely. Kenshin stared at her for a second and leaned in closer until he was one inch from her face. Kaoru felt herself blush. His eyes were so gorgeous, that her mouth gaped open. 'He probably didn't hear me' she thought. He smirked at the expression on her face. 

  
  


Leaning in a little closer, he was now one centimeter from her. She blushed a little more, turning into a darker pink. "No" he said plainly, backing away from her, still looking at her face. Kaoru stared blankly at him for a second until she just realized what he said. 'What did he just say?! "No"? Why that bastard' she thought as she started getting angry. Kenshin smirked at her slyly. 

  
  


"KAMIYA!!!" yelled Professor Hiko, right in her face. "IF YOU FIND SOMETHING SO INTERESTING ABOUT HIMURA I SUGGEST WRITING IT AFTER SCHOOL 100 TIMES ON THE BLACKBOARD!!!". Kaoru recovered from the shock of getting smothered in spit by the furious teacher.

  
  


"But Prof-" 

  
  


"DON'T TRY TO GET OUT OF IT!! NO TALKING IN CLASS IS ONE OF MY RULES!!!" screamed the professor. "Now turn around and pay attention!". The professor turned on his heal and continued his lesson. Kaoru sat there, dazed at the shock. 'Detention. I've never gotten a detention ever in my life!' she thought.

  
  


Behind her, she heard Kenshin's snickering underneath his loud music.

  
  


***2 hours pass and the lunch bell went off***

  
  


Kaoru, Megumi, and Misao walked to their usual lunch spot under the Sakura trees in the school courtyard/garden. Kaoru stomped a head fuming about earlier. "GGRR!!! THAT-THAT-THAT-"

  
  


"Asshole" said Misao. "Geez, Kaoru, you can swear out loud once in a while ya know". She took out her sandwich and started munching on it.

  
  


"IT'S HIS FAULT THAT I HAVE DETENTION!!! Grrrr, I wanna kill him!!" hissed Kaoru.

  
  


Megumi ignored her friend's hissy-fit and sat down. "Well Kaoru, why on earth were you staring at him in the first place?" 

  
  


"I was telling him to turn off his music" she said, pacing around the tree.

  
  


"Ya, right! I saw you the whole time, you were staring at him like he was a god or something" said Megumi.

  
  


'He is' Kaoru's mind said, 'What!! What the hell am I thinking?! No Kaoru! He's one of those preppy, thinks-he's-all-that type of guy'. She stood there staring blankly in space.

  
  


"Yo, Kaoru?". Kaoru snapped back to reality. "Huh?" she said. Misao and Megumi looked at her. Suddenly Megumi broke into a grin. "You were thinking of him weren't you?". Kaoru turned a light pink. "No!". "Oh, I think you were". Megumi and Misao burst out giggling. "Shut up" was all Kaoru could say as she turned into a deeper red.

  
  


~*~*~*~**~~*~*~**~~*~*

  
  


Kenshin, Sano, and Aoshi walked into the cafeteria, when a bunch of preppy-snot-whores came running towards them. Kenshin, Sano, and Aoshi, ignored them all and continued walking towards their table. When they all sat down, with a bunch of girls glomping them, Sano decided to bring up the event that happened during class.

"Yo, Kenshin. That was pretty funny what you did to that girl" said Sano. Kenshin looked at him and grinned. 

  
  


"Ya, I know. I love to tease those types of girls" said Kenshin. Suddenly Yahiko popped up and said "What girl?".

  
  


"Oh, some ugly chick from the loser people class" yawned Sano. "Am I right Kenshin?"

  
  


"Oh ya" said Kenshin. His tone was some what calm, yet slightly irritated. Sano, Yahiko and Aoshi, continued a new conversation, while all the glomping girl listened in.

  
  


'Ugly...Oh ya!! Ugly both on the inside and out! Well, not totally, I like her eyes. *Like?* Shit Kenshin, you're going all soft for an ugly, stuck-up, loser person! I hate loser people, why the hell did they move us to their class!? Seriously' Kenshin thought dazed. The girls continued glomping him while he sat there thinking of her.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


Geez, people! You don't have to look at me like that! I know that sucked! Well, actually, I don't. But it would be nice to tell me what you thought. You see that little button on the bottom of the page? The one on the left side? Ya, that one! How about you click it and leave me a review. I am terribly sorry if there are any grammar or spelling errors. It's pretty late, and I'm kinda tired. And ya, I know, Kenshin didn't really seem to hate her, but she definitely hates him, for now. Don't worry there will be more love/hate situations to come. So ya. Please tell me what you thought and if some of you like it I might type the next chapter sooner.

  
  


Until next time.

Ttyl, bibi

*Dev

  
  


DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!


	2. Puppy Love

Yay! I got some reviews! I would like to thank all my lovely reviewers. Sorry for the late update, but your know, homework and birthday parties kept me busy. Well, here's chapter 2:

  
  


Underneath it All- Chapter 2: 

  
  


Disclaimer: If I owned Rurouni Kenshin, why the hell would I write fanfics about it? Honestly.

  
  


~*~*~*~*~**~~*~**

  
  


Kaoru came home angerly from school. 

  
  


"Kaoru, what's wrong?" asked her mom, Yukari (I'm gonna call her mom that from now on). Kaoru ignored her mom's question and stormed upstairs.

  
  


"What's with Kaoru?" asked her dad, Toshiro (I made that up ok? I'm not really sure if it's a Japanese name). Yukari shook her head and replied, "I don't know. I'm guessing it's those teen hormones. That's what you get from PMS".

  
  


"Yeah, that's probably it"

  
  


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  
  


Kaoru threw her backpack across her room. Appearantly, after lunch, Kenshin was flicking peices of paper at her head and kept pulling her hair (gently). This got her very irritated, so she yelled at him, therefore adding an additional 50 to the 100 lines she wrote after school.

  
  


"That ass!!" hissed Kaoru. "How on earth can I get him back without getting in trouble?". Her train of thought was rudely interupted by the phone. She walked over to the phone and answered "Hello?" slightly pissed off.

  
  


"Hey Kaoru!" said Misao cheerfully. "It's Misao".

"And Megumi" said another voice. "We're on a three way". Kaoru simply grunted. 

"Are you ok?" asked Misao. That was the wrong question to ask Kaoru right then.

"WHY THE HELL WOULD I BE OK? I GOT A FUCKING DETENTION! I HAVE THE MOST ANNOYING ASS IN THE WHOLE WORLD SITTING BEHIND ME IN CLASS AND YOU'RE ASKING IF I'M OKAY!?". Misao held the phone a safe arms length away from her ear. On the other hand, Megumi was rather calm and relaxed.

"Kaoru, cool down" said Megumi. "He may be an ass but you have to admit that he's one hot ass".

"He's not hot! He's the most self conseded bastard I've ever met!" scowled Kaoru, but in her mind she screamed 'What the hell am I saying!? Of course he's the hottest, sexiest, ass I've met!'.

"Well, Kaoru, the only reason why he keeps bugging you is because you react to it. If you stop yelling at him, he'll loose all interest and stop bugging you" said Misao, seeing that it was safe to put the phone back to her ear. Kaoru thought for a while.

"Hmm, you're right! But I still want to get back at him for what he did"

"Ok, we'll help you" said Megumi. Kaoru smiled evilly.

"Ok, I've got a plan. First we'll..." her voice going more quite as she told them the plan.

  
  


~*~*~*~**~*~*~~

  
  


Kenshin walked home alone with his backpack slumped over his right shoulder as usual. He rang the buzzer to the gate of his mansion. "It's me" he said lazily. The gate opened and he walked in. A waiter opened the door for him and took his backpack. Kenshin walked upstairs and into his room. He changed into his blue gi and white kanata pants (is that how you spell it? Correct me if I'm wrong), put his hair into a high ponytail, and grabbed his sword. He walked out into the courtyard and practiced his training in the little patch of forest behind his house. With his god like speed he slashed at the leaves and branches causing them to snap all at the same time. He then listened for any sign of an animal.

  
  


~*~*~*~*~*

  
  


Kaoru finished telling them of her plan as they started laughing. Yukari knocked on her daughter's door. Kaoru stopped laughing and said "Come in". Yukari came in holding a dog leash.

  
  


"Kaoru, it's time to walk the dog" said Yukari. Kaoru nodded.

"Listen guys, I gotta go walk the dog. I'll see you guys tomorrow". She hung up the phone. "Mom, I gotta change, I kinda smell from school".

"Ok, but hurry" said Yukari. Kaoru nodded as Yukari left the room, closing the door behind her. Kaoru changed into pink sweatpants, a baby pink tank, and a pink zipper sweater/hoody. She put her hair up in a high ponytail, grabbed the leash and got the dog, Shinta.

  
  


They went out the door and started their evening walk. Shinta, a beagle dog, walked happily with his tongue sticking out. Kaoru led him into the park. The park had a jungle gym, a huge slide, swing sets, everything you'd see at any old park, but this park had a haunted forest next to it. Kaoru shivered as a cold breeze past her. Shinta, growled at the forest and started barking.

  
  


"What's wrong Shinta?" asked Kaoru. Shinta kept barking. Droplets of water started to pour. A pair of red eyes glimmered in the forest. Kaoru backed up as Shinta's barking came louder. The red eyes came out to reveal the most disgusting, hugest, rat Kaoru had ever seen. Shinta barked louder and tugged harder on his leash. Kaoru was too frightened to move, but kept a good grip on the leash. Shinta gave one final tug and the leash snapped. He ran in after the rat as they both disapeared into the forest. 

  
  


"Shinta!" Screamed Kaoru. She looked at the pitch-black forest and shuddered. "I've gotta find him, even if it means I have to go in there". She immediately sprinted into the forest.

  
  


~*~*~*~*

  
  


Kenshin was bored out of his mind. All he killed for the past few hours was 30 mice, 2 rabbits, and 15 gophers. He thought it was time to pack up when he felt rain drops fall on his face. He was about the leave when he heard the faint sound of hissing and barking. He immediately took off following the sound. He ran through a patch of bushes and saw a beagle dog fighting off a cat-sized rat.

  
  


"Now that's what I call interesting" said Kenshin as he grinned and aimed his sword at the rat. The rat moved it's target to Kenshin as it jumped at him. Kenshin swung his sword, slicing half of it's body, but the top part of the rats body was still conscious as it landed on his face clawing, creating a vertical line across his left cheek. He yelled and threw the rat off him and it smacked into a tree, instantly dying.

  
  


He whiped his cheek with his gi, which was now covered in rat blood. He looked down at Shinta who was whimpering at him with those puppy dog eyes. He smiled and picked up Shinta, whose leg was bleeding from being bitten. He turned and started heading towards the house.

  
  


"SHINTA!!!!!" yelled a voice in the background. Kenshin turned and looked around. "Shinta!! Where are you?!". Kenshin stood there, narrowed his eyes from where the noise was coming from. Shinta started barking. "Shinta?" came the voice again. 

  
  


'That voice sounds farely familair' thought Kenshin. The bushes started to shake as a girl emmerged from them. She was all covered in dirt, her hair all messed up, soaking wet with tears running down her eyes.

  
  


"SHINTA!" screamed Kaoru. She immediately ran up to Kenshin and hugged him, along with Shinta. Kenshin stood there dazed at this beautiful girl (it's dark so he can't see her clearly). He closed his eyes and smelt her. She smelt so familiar, but he couldn't really remember where it was from. 'Hmm, smells like jasmine' he thought. 

  
  


Kaoru backed away and started patting Shinta on the head. "Oh, thank you so much!" she said, not taking her eyes off Shinta. Kenshin looked at her eyes. A pretty sapphire blue. He stared at her face, her smooth creamy white skin, slightly smudged in dirt, her pink lips, her small nose, and raven black hair. She was, with out a doubt, the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

  
  


Kaoru stopped patting Shinta and looked up at Kenshin. Her happy face soon turned into a disappointed one. She lifted her hand and touch his cheek. Kenshin felt him self blush as her soft, gentle cold hand touch his warm face.

  
  


"You're bleeding" she said. He stared blankly at her. A bolt of lightning and crack of thunder interupted the moment. Kaoru looked up and Kenshin kept staring at her. 

  
  


"I better go" she said. She took Shinta from Kenshin and was about to leave when he grabbed her arm.

"It's cold out, you'll catch a cold. Would you like to come in my house until it stops?" he asked. 'What the hell am I doing? I barely know her and yet I'm asking her to come in'. Kaoru looked at him and smiled.

  
  


"Sure" she said. Kenshin smiled and led her to his house. It was all dark from a black out. Kenshin led her to the living room where his mother sat looking at the fireplace. His mom turned and looked at them.

  
  


"Oh my, I didn't know you had a girlfriend" she said. 

"She's not my girlfriend mom" twitched Kenshin, "She just got lost and she would have caught a cold, so I invited her in".

"Oh ok" she said standing up. "I'll get Suzu to get her all washed up and a new change of clothes while we wash hers". Kaoru was too busy admiring the huge house to hear what she just said. Kenshin's mom (we'll call her Sakura) rung a bell and a middle-aged maid came in. Kaoru looked at the maid and then at Sakura. 

  
  


"Get her washed up, give her a new change of clothes, and wash hers" said Sakura. Suzu nodded and took Kaoru's hand.

  
  


"Huh? Wha-" was all Kaoru could say. She was led upstairs and to one of the many bathrooms. Suku filled up the bathtub and told her to take off her clothes. Kaoru did as she was told and gave Suzu her wet ones. She dipped her self into the tub and relaxed in the tub.

  
  


*Meanwhile*

  
  


Kenshin stared at Kaoru as she was led up the stairs. He smiled to himself.

"So who is she?" asked Sakura, smirking at her son as his cheeks turned red.

"I don't know. She was in the forest out back because her dog ran in chasing a rat" he said. Sakura looked down at Shinta.

"Looks like he'll need some treatment too" she said. Kenshin looked at her as she rang for another servant. The servant took Shinta and left for another washroom. Sakura looked at Kenshin.

  
  


"You need a bath too. You stink and you're all covered in blood" said Sakura. Kenshin shrugged and sat down. "You're getting blood on my couch!"

  
  


"I'll take a bath later" said Kenshin, his eyes closed.

"I don't think that'll impress that beautiful girl upstairs in the bathroom" teased Sakura. Kenshin's eyes shot open and before you knew it, he was in his personal bathroom washing up. Sakura smiled and stared at the fire. 

"I sure hope that she's the one that will melt his frozen heart"

  
  


To be continued...

  
  


Well, that was chapter 2. I really hope you liked it. again, I'm sorry for the 2 week update. I sure hope some of you are still interested in this fic. Please review. Oh ya, I'll be doing some review responses:

  
  


Kaoru Gal- Thanks for the review! I really appreciate it. ya, I do notice that Kenshin's personality does change. I guess because it'll seem a bit more weird if Kaoru changed or something.

  
  


Knshn4eva- don't worry, I didn't take your review as a flame. I understand how you feel, and I'm sorry if I made you feel that way. Don't worry, Kenshin will become more sweet later on. It's just that Kenshin is a bit Battousai-ish right now, he'll change personalities from now and then ok? Please don't get at me for doing that. And I promise that I won't make him as stuck up as he was in the first chapter. I hope you'll accept my apology.

  
  


Nicky9- Ya, that is so true! And thanks for reviewing! 

  
  


Karen- Thank you for saying that this doesn't suck! It made me feel so wanted. Don't forget to review this chapter.

  
  


Dazed- thank you!

  
  


Ya sure- Ya, I had that feeling while I was writing this chapter.

  
  


Until the next chapter...

Ttyl, bibi

*Dev

  
  


DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!!!!!!!!


	3. Dark and Dinner

Thanks for the review everyone! It really cheered me up. I've got this stupid cold that I caught last, last night. I sound all squeaky when I talk and I have to blow my nose and spit every minute. You didn't really need to know that, but I feel really crappy. Don't mind if this chapter is crap, my hormones are outta wack and I can't really think right now. Oh well, here's chapter 3:

  
  


Underneath it All- Chapter 3: 

  
  


Disclaimer: I don't own anything. So I hope you got the point.

  
  


~*~*~*~*~**~~*~**

  
  


Kaoru got out of the bathtub, dried her hair, and put on the gorgeous dark blue kimono, with silver butterflies, Suzu gave her. She combed her hair with the brush they also gave her. She decided to leave her hair down as she put the brush down on the dresser. She took one last look at the mirror. The candles highlighted her cheek bones and her nose, while they seemed to make her eyes glimmer. She smiled and came out of the bathroom, to be led by Suzu down to the dining hall. 

  
  


*Meanwhile*

  
  


Kenshin rushed out of the bathroom, dripping wet with a towel hanging down to his hips. That was the fastest bath he ever had in his life! Timed 1 minute and 47 seconds! (No, that's not impossible. Trust me, I once timed my mom taking a 2 minutes shower!). He dried his hair while slipping into a pair of baggy jeans and a white shirt. When his hair finished drying, he put it in a low ponytail. He looked at the mirror and scowled.

  
  


"No, this doesn't look good". He changed his shirt into a red one and looked back at the mirror.

"Grr. NO!". He went sorting through all his shirts, throwing all the 'No!" shirts into all directions. This was going to take a while.

  
  


~Back at the dining hall~

  
  


Kaoru was led into the huge dining room by Suzu who was holding a candle. 

"Right this way Miss" said Suzu. Kaoru followed her to a seat that was at one end of the long table. Sakura sat at the other end. The table had many candles to light up the dark room. Even with all the candles, it was hard to see anything clearly.

  
  


"So, what's your name?" asked Sakura. Kaoru looked at her.

  
  


"Kaoru. Kaoru Kamiya" replied Kaoru. Sakura smiled at her.

  
  


"Kaoru..." said Sakura, closing her eyes. "What a beautiful name". Kaoru smiled at that. 

  
  


"Thank you" she said, still smiling. Sakura opened her eyes and looked at her.

  
  


"I can see why my son likes you" she said. Kaoru blushed at that. Sakura chuckled. "You like him too, don't you?". Kaoru blushed a little more.

  
  


"Well.." she said. "It's ok, my dear. I understand, I won't barge into your feelings" said Sakura. Kaoru looked up at her.

  
  


"Um, if you don't mind me asking..." said Kaoru. Sakura replied with a "Hm?". "Well, I need to go to the bathroom".

  
  


"Again?" asked Sakura. "But you just came from the bathroom"

"Well, I kinda have to go right now"

"Oh, ok. I'll call Suzu down"

"No, it's ok. I think I can remember where it is" said Kaoru.

"Well, ok" said Sakura. Kaoru stood up and walked through the door where she came from. 

  
  


~Kenshin's room*

  
  


"GRR! Why the hell don't I have any good shirts!". He had just gone through ever shirt drawer and closet he had and had not yet found the shirt he thought would impress her. He sighed in defeat and picked up the simple white shirt he first picked. Grabbing a candle before he left, he walked through the door and headed for the dining hall.

  
  


~Kaoru*

  
  


"Was it this way?" she said to herself, pointing down one hall. "Or this way?" she pointed to the other hall. She was starting to get scared of this humongous mansion. All she had left was her candle to comfort her. Suddenly a window gusted open from the storm, blowing out her candle, causing her to scream. She was all alone in the dark now.

  
  


~*~

  
  


Kenshin heard a faint scream down the hall to his left. He turned and headed down there. Another window flew open, blowing out his candle as well. He tossed it aside, seeing it was no use anymore. He ran faster down the hall. 

  
  


He was about to sprint even more faster, when he hit something soft and smelt of jasmine. He fell to the ground along with the figure.

  
  


~*~

  
  


Kaoru heard footsteps coming down the hall. She was even more afraid now. She's heard of murderers who come into dark spooky mansions before, killing and resident they happen to run into. She was about to turn and run when something smacked into her, causing her to fall backwards.

  
  


~*~

  
  


Kenshin and Kaoru lay there on the ground. Kenshin's weight on top of Kaoru's small figure. Kaoru closed her eyes shut, too scared to see what was happening. Kenshin lifted his head and looked at Kaoru's moonlit face. She was quivering of fear as Kenshin continued to stare at her. His eyes scanned her bangs, her cheekbones, her eyes, her lips. He felt his face lower towards her as she shook even more. He managed to back off when seeing this. 

  
  


"Hey" he said, his voice calm and warm. Kaoru stopped shaking and opened her eyes. Blue met Violet as they stared at each other. Several minutes passed before Kaoru finally broke the silence.

  
  


"Um, can you get off?" she said. Kenshin arched an eyebrow, wondering why, until the answer hit him.

  
  


He was on top of her! 

Kenshin scrambled off her as fast as he could, blushing like mad. It was a good thing it was dark, so she couldn't see his face go as red as his hair. Kaoru stood up and smiled. 

  
  


"I think we're late for dinner" she said. Kenshin stopped blushing and took hand, leading her to the dining hall.

  
  


~*~**~

  
  


Sakura looked up at the two teens as they entered the room.

  
  


"Well, it's about time!" she said. Kenshin and Kaoru stood at the door way and blushed.

  
  


The lights flickered on breaking the moment. Kenshin and Kaoru turned to each other and gapped. Sakura stood up from her seat.

  
  


"I guess the storm is over, but Kaoru, I really think you should at least have dinner with us and-" she stopped noticing the expression on both teens' faces as they looked at each other. Sakura arched an eyebrow. 

  
  


Kaoru stared at Kenshin with her mouth wide opened, eyes bulging out of their sockets. 'Oh-my-God! It's him! It's that rude little bastard!' she thought.

  
  


Kenshin's expression mirrored her's perfectly. 'Oh shit! Don't tell me that I actually thought this girl was pretty! It's that loser girl from school!'.

  
  


Kaoru let go of his hand and pointed at him. 

"YOU!" she hissed. Her eyes filled with anger. Kenshin's anger soon boiled up.

"YES ME!" he growled. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE?!"

"I DON'T KNOW! WHAT AM I DOING IN YOUR HOUSE?" she snarled back. Suzu had just walked in holding Shinta.

"Come on Shinta we're leaving!". she grabbed Shinta from Suzu. She then turned to Sakura. "I would like to leave now" she said, her voice calming down.

  
  


"But I thought that we could all have dinner and-"

"SHE-" Kenshin yelled pointing at Kaoru. "IS NOT HAVING DINNER HERE!". Sakura backed away from her son's anger. 

"Alright, please come this way Kaoru" said Sakura, looking down at the ground. Kaoru followed Sakura out of the room.

  
  


Sakura led her to the front door. "Are you sure you know your way back home from here?" she asked. Kaoru looked at her and nodded.

"Don't worry, I'm sure I'll find my way". Sakura glanced at her.

"I apologize for Kenshin's behavior. He's not usually like that" she said.

"You don't need to apologize for him. It's not your fault. It's partially mine" said Kaoru. Sakura smiled. 

"You'd better be heading off now. The rain might come back soon". Kaoru nodded and headed out the door holding Shinta.

  
  


~*~*~*~* 

  
  


Sakura walked back into the dining hall, seeing that Kenshin was quietly eating his dinner. She sat down and looked at her plate, remembering what Kenshin said to Kaoru.

  
  


"YOU SHOULD NEVER YELL AT A GIRL!" she screamed. This startled Kenshin, causing him to fall off his chair saying his traditional, 'Oro?"

  
  


"WHAT'S WITH YOU? FIRST YOU KEEP STARING AT HER AS IF YOU WERE IN LOVE, THAN YOU START MOUTHING OFF AT HER! TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON!" yelled Sakura, smashing her fist to the table. Kenshin stared at his mom, he had never seen her so angry before.

  
  


"You want me to tell you what's wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong! She's a loser person who deserves no respect or gratitude!" he hissed. Sakura let out a long sigh. 

  
  


"That loser person speech again, huh? I really thought you were attracted to her" she sighed.

"As if! Who on Earth would be attracted to her?" he said, stuffing a potato in his mouth.

"You would!" smirked Sakura. Kenshin choked on his potato, coughing his head off.

"Ex-excuse me?"

"Oh come on! I saw the way you looked at her. You couldn't keep your eyes off her!" grinned Sakura. Kenshin coughed even more.

"I have seen so much attraction between two people before. Even when you were mad, I still saw lots of fireworks going on". Suzu and Sakura started giggling.

"ENOUGH!" yelled Kenshin. Suzu and Sakura stopped giggling. "I NEVER WAS ATTRACTED TO HER! AND I NEVER WILL BE!" with that, he stormed up to his room.

Sakura grinned and turned to Suzu. "He's so in love with her". Suzu smiled and nodded.

  
  


~*~*~*~*

  
  


Well, that's chapter 3 for you. I have to get up early tomorrow, so that's why I'm leaving now. I apologize if this chapter was crappy, but remember that I'm sick and I'm really not concentrating right now. I've stayed in my pajama's all day and had soup and millions of glasses of ice and water. Oh well, here are the chapter 2 review responses:

  
  


Kaoru Gal: Thanks for the review. Ya, I know the dog is cool. I couldn't really think of name while I was typing chapter 2, so I just put Shinta.

  
  


Deity of Death1: Thanks for telling me that his pants are called "yukata". I had a feeling that it ends with an 'a'. I'm so stupid, it's not even funny. ^_^. Ya, I agree, highschool fics are awesome!

  
  


Kasumi: Thanks for pointing out those. You're so right! The weird thing is that, my friend who's editing this, says there's too much description and little conversation. Weird ne? Oh well. Oh! Seta is going to come later on in the fic. I don't know when, but I'll try to get him in as soon as I can.

  
  


13a13yanime: Ya, they didn't see each other because it's dark. Duh! Lol, jk. But remember that there was a black out. Ok? I'm glad you like my fic.

  
  


Dark Elmo: Thank you! I'm glad that my fic has you hooked! Be sure to wait one week from now when I update. Stupid teachers keep on pilling up on homework! I was supposed to update yesterday, but I had to do my homework. Grr.

  
  


I'LL BE UPDATING A WEEK FROM NOW JUST TO TELL YOU! AND IF I DON'T, THEN, YOU CAN JUST BLAME MY MEAN TEACHERS. @_@

  
  


Ttyl, bibi

*Dev

DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!!!!


	4. Long School Day

OMG!!!! I'm so sorry everyone! Last week I had so much homework that I couldn't even type a little bit and I also had guests over during the weekend, plus I was really busy this week. I'm so sorry! But I really hope you enjoy this chapter. Well, here's chapter 4:

  
  


Underneath it All- Chapter 4: 

  
  


Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I wish I did, but I don't.

  
  


~*~*~*~*~**~~*~**

  
  


It was the day right after that stormy night with Kaoru and Kenshin. Kaoru woke bright and early and headed her way to school along with Misao and Megumi. Kenshin, on the other hand, woke up late and came to class one hour late.

  
  


Kaoru looked up at him as he entered the classroom. He glanced at her and quickly turned away. Professor Hiko began to lecture him about coming on time and how he'd get detention next time it happened. Kenshin just ignored him and walked to his seat. The professor soon gave up and started his lesson about Canadian history (hehe, yes, I am Canadian and proud of it! P.S. we DO NOT say 'eh') This day was going to be a long one.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


After the four long and boring hours of class, it was finally lunch.

  
  


"Man, I'm starved" said Sano, running towards the lunch line. Cutting infront of everybody and punching those who objected. Soon he was joining up with Kenshin, Soujiro, and Aoshi at their table. All the snobby sluts soon joined them, giggling their ugly faces off. Kenshin ignored all the girls that were constantly rubbing his sexy chest and stared blankly at his juicebox. 'The blue letters remind me of her eyes' he thought. He blushed at the thought of those deep blue orbs staring at him. His train of thought was interrupted by Aoshi.

"Are you ok, Kenshin?" asked Aoshi. Kenshin glanced at him and nodded.

"Ya, it's nothing" he murmured.

"What's nothing?" asked Soujiro. Kenshin blushed a little more.

"Never mind" he said. Soujiro and Aoshi just stared at him. They soon shrugged and turned their attention to the hideous whores next to them. Kenshin soon turned back to normal. 'Why do I keep thinking of her?' he asked himself. All night he couldn't sleep because all he thought of was her. Her and those pools of blue. He had gotten frustrated so he decided that he should just actually do his homework for once, but when that didn't work, he looked into his hentai magazines (JUST KIDDING! Kenshin won't be perverted in this fic, well, maybe a little, but he won't look at those types of things)

  
  


*Kaoru*

  
  


Kaoru had slept perfectly fine that night. She dreamt how many ways she could kill Kenshin and all the types of plans she'd do to him. (As you can see, she pretty much hates Kenshin, even though he seems to be falling for her). She skipped happily to their special spot under the Sakura tree.

"You seem cheerful today" said Megumi. Kaoru turned and grinned. "It's so not like you". Kaoru stopped grinning and frowned.

"Well, sorry if I'm happy for once. You know, you could be more supportive" said Kaoru. Megumi sighed.

"I dunno, I guess it's just been a while since you've smiled lately. I really missed your smile". Kaoru looked at her. 

"Yes, that is true. Well, anyways, let's eat lunch". They all sat down and began to eat. 

"By the way Kaoru, why are you so happy today?" asked Misao.

"I had really sweet dreams last night" smiled Kaoru.

"Of a certain red-haired sexy beast am I right?" asked Megumi, smirking. Kaoru snorted.

"Yes. Of different ways I could kill that red-haired bastard"

"Kaoru, you know as well as I know, that you have to admit that he is good looking" said Megumi.

"True, but even though he is good looking he sure doesn't come along with a matching personality!" sneered Kaoru. Megumi grinned.

"So you do think he's hot"

"NO! I just said he's good looking. I never said he's h-" 

"WHAT'S THAT KAORU? YOU THINK KENSHIN HIMURA IS HOT?" yelled Misao. A few people passing by turned and looked at the threesome. 

"N-NO! I D-DON'T!" stuttered Kaoru. She was really starting to get embarrassed. More people started gathering around. Megumi and Misao were laughing their heads off. The people around them starting whispering to each other "Did you hear that!" or "She likes Kenshin" or "Oh my gosh! Like he'd go for her". Kaoru couldn't take all the eyes watching her. She ran out of the mob and into the school.

"HEY WAIT KAORU! WE WERE ONLY KIDDING!" yelled Megumi, but she was already out of sight.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


Kenshin was getting real bored. Sano, Soujiro and Aoshi were having their own conversation about going to the YMCA later on after school, while the sluts just sat there glomping all of them. Kenshin let out a long yawn. He stood up and decided to go up to the roof of the school.

  
  


Kenshin walked down the hallway. It was nearly empty due to the mob outside that were previously gathered around Misao and Megumi. 'Why? Why do I keep thinking of her?' he wondered. 'Maybe I just feel guilty about what I said to her last night. I guess I could apologize to her. Should I?'. He turned a corner when something ran into him, knocking them both to the ground (I know, it's so cliche. But what can you do?). He remembered that familiar scent of jasmine and immediately knew who it was. He opened his eyes and looked at her raven black hair.

Kaoru had felt the shock from hitting the ground. She heard the soothing heartbeat of the person she had crashed into. Since the chest was flat, she knew it was a guy. Her tears kept rolling down her cheeks, from all the embarrassment from her so-called friends. 

Kenshin continued to stare at her. She seemed to be breathing heavily. Kenshin sat up with Kaoru still buried in his chest crying. He could feel her tears soaking into his shirt, but he did really care. He picked up her shoulders and looked at her face. It was all tear stained and her eyes were closed. He felt sick at the person (or people) who did this to her. Cupping her face with his hands, he brushed away her tears with his thumbs. He longed for her to open her eyes, but she kept them shut tight. Tears continued to fall as he studied her features. Her rosy cheeks, small nose, and full lips. 

'God, why is she so different from the others?' Kenshin asked himself. 'Should I apologize?'. Kaoru's hands reached up and touched his. Kenshin smiled and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I'm sorry" he whispered. 

Kaoru opened her eyes, but no one was there. Kenshin had used his god-like speed to run around the corner and up the stairs. Kaoru stood up and noticed that the hallway was empty. The first bell went off and everyone from outside headed back inside. Kaoru headed towards her classroom and sat in her seat. Today was turning out really awkward.

The next two periods was there options. Kaoru and Misao had Baking Basics. Megumi had Health class.

  
  


*~*

  
  


"Kaoru, we're really sorry about lunch" said Misao. Kaoru ignored her and kept walking. "Please Kaoru! We've been friends since, like, forever! It was just a joke! It won't happen again!". Kaoru continued walking and sat down in her seat when they entered the Foods room. Misao sat next to her and continued her begging.

"Kaoru!! Please! We're really sorry! We cleared it up with everybody! They think that Jineh is gay and that HE likes Kenshin!". Kaoru opened her book and began getting ready. Misao slumped back in her chair and thought of something. Then it hit her.

  
  


"I thought you were my friend,

I thought you were my sister,

But I guess I was wrong,

And you don't love me"

  
  


This song was what they always used on each other to win their forgiveness. Kaoru cringed at this. Misao grinned and continued to sing.

  
  


"But there's something I can say,

That won't make you turn away,

And that is, I love you"

  
  


If the singer of the song says 'I love you' for the fifth time and the person that is mad doesn't hug them, then the singer has to go in a corner, curl into a ball and start saying 'I hate you'.

  
  


"I love you! I love you! I love you" one more and Misao would go into a corner.

"I love yo-" Kaoru had pulled her friend into a hug, smiling.

  
  


"Alright! I forgive you!" smiled Kaoru. Misao grinned. "Geez, I hate it when you use that against me". Misao and Kaoru began to giggle when Kenshin and Aoshi entered the classroom. Kaoru and Misao stopped giggling and watched them as they took their seats. Kenshin and Aoshi were watching them also, Aoshi was really glaring while Kenshin just stared at Kaoru. 

  
  


"Ok everyone!" said Professor Tae. "I have organized you in partners". Kaoru and Misao looked at each other, they were usually put together in foods class, although their food never really turned out great.

"Here's how it goes:" she looked at her sheet "Hitomi and Drake, John and Alexa, Hiroshi and Mari, Tanaka and Mina, Kevin and Jamie, Kaoru and Kenshin, and last but not least, Misao and Aoshi". Everyone but Kenshin, Kaoru, Aoshi, and Misao were happy with their partners. Kaoru put up her hand.

"Ms. Tae, could I change my partner" she asked. Ms. Tae shook her head and replied. "No, this year we wanted to see how well a boy can cooperate with a girl. It's also part of your Health course too. It helps us study the teenager behavior to the opposite sex. You'll be with this partner in each option for the whole year! Isn't it great?". Kaoru's eye twitched.

"The whole year" she repeated. "Ya, sure, great". Kenshin on the other hand was rather quite pleased with getting with Kaoru. He could be even closer to her now and get to know her. Yet, Aoshi and Misao were having a glaring contest. 

'This little missy is sure going to be living in hell soon' thought Aoshi, glaring down at Misao. 

'He may be tall and sexy, but he has a heart of ice and a bastard-like attitude. Don't forget that Misao' Misao thought, glaring up at him.

  
  


This year sure has come up with many surprises. 

  
  


*Megumi and Sano in Health class*

  
  


"You idiot! You don't stick the shot in the bone! You stick it in the flab!" hissed Megumi. She had been put with Sano for her partner and they had to learn how to stick shots into people on a dummy.

"Calm down fox! It's just Health class. Who cares?" said Sano.

"I do you rooster-head!" snapped Megumi. 

  
  


*We'll just leave them for now~

  
  


Kenshin came home from school and plopped down on his bed. He smiled as he thought of Kaoru and her screw up in the kitchen. She had accidentally put vegetable oil instead of white wine on their fried potatoes. He closed his eyes as he went into a deep thought.

'I really like her. I don't know why though. She can't cook, she has that temper. But I guess that's what I like about her. She's not like those other girls that give up so easily. I can't to see her tomorrow'. A knock came to his door as Suzu came in. 

"Mr. Himura. Your mother has asked me to give you Ms. Kaoru's clothes from the other day. She says to bring them to her tomorrow at school" said Suzu as she put the folded clothes down on his desk. Kenshin nodded his head and motioned her to leave. After she closed the door, Kenshin jumped up from his bed and ran to Kaoru's clothes. He picked up her pink tanktop and sniffed it. It smelt of fresh laundry and jasmine. He loved her scent, it was so relaxing and fresh. He closed his eyes and thought of her. 

He wasn't aware that his mom and Suzu were watching him from the door. They both smirked and silently closed the door.

  
  


~~~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*

  
  


Well, that's chapter 4. sorry if it's kind of short. Again, I'm so sorry for not updating in 2 weeks. I can't promise that I'll update a week from now, but I'll try to type it up when I have time. Please review this chapter!!! oh ya, the part with the song is this thing that me, my sister, and our two other friends/sisters do to each other when we want them to forgive us. Until next time,

  
  


ttyl, bibi

*Dev

  
  


DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!!!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!

  
  



	5. Project Lion

Hi everyone. I did say that I'd update as soon as I could. Thank you all for the reviews! Don't mind if this is a crappy chapter, but I have this stupid stomachache that I've had since yesterday. It bugged me all night, but thanks to my mom's yummy tea, I feel a bit better. Well, here's chapter 5:

  
  


Underneath it All- Chapter 5: 

  
  


Disclaimer: it's so sad, but true. I don't own any Rurouni Kenshin.

  
  


~*~*~*~*~**~~*~**

  
  


Kenshin slept peacefully that night. (He put Kaoru's tank top on his face the whole night. Hehe). He opened his eyes and took the shirt off his face. Staring at it for a couple of seconds, he pictured Kaoru in his head. A knock on his door disrupted his thought instantly. 

"Enter" he said, quickly hiding Kaoru's shirt under his sheets. Sakura opened the door and greeted her son.

"Did you have a good sleep? You seem more relaxed than normal today." she said. Kenshin stepped out of bed, only wearing a pair of boxers. 

"Ya" was all he said. He walked over to his closet and started picking out the things he'd wear for the day. Sakura continued to stare at him from the door. "What do you want?" Kenshin asked flatly. Sakura arched her eyebrow.

"You need to learn some manners Kenshin". Kenshin ignored her and grabbed his backpack. He was heading for the door when Sakura stopped him. "You need to return her clothes". Kenshin paused and headed to his desk, picking up Kaoru's clothes. He then headed for the door again. "ALL of them" smirked Sakura. Kenshin flushed as his eyes widened. 'How'd she know?' he asked himself. As if reading his mind, Sakura answered his question. "I know because that's what some men do when they're in love".

"I don't love her" he hissed as he snatched her tank top from under his sheets. Sakura just continued to smirk. He stormed out of the door and headed out to school, skipping breakfast. Sakura closed her eyes and thought 'you just keep thinking that'.

  
  


~*~*~*~~~*

  
  


School was going to be more tough than Kenshin thought. In every class he either sat behind or beside Kaoru and every time he had the urge to lean into her and smell her. Math class was the worst. The desks were all attached together and he had to sit next to her.

  
  


Lunch soon came. 'I'll give her back her clothes when everyone leaves' he thought. 

"Oi! Kaoru" he said. Kaoru turned and looked at him.

"What?" she hissed. 'Man, she probably still hates me' he thought, although her feistiness was sort of was what he liked about her.

"I need to talk to you" he said as Kaoru walked up to him, Misao and Megumi following close behind her. "Alone" he finished, glaring at Misao and Megumi. They glared back at him and left. Kenshin looked all around the classroom to make sure that they were all alone. When all was clear, he took off his backpack, opened it, and took out Kaoru's clothes.

"My mom wanted to give these to you" he said handing them Kaoru. Kaoru stared at them like they were a foreign object for a second before she reached out her hands and touched them. Her hands brushed his gently as she retrieved them from him. Kenshin bowed his head slightly so that she couldn't see the pink blush forming on his face. When she was finished, she looked back up at him. Kenshin's blush faded as he looked back at her.

"Thank you, Kenshin" she said smiling. Kenshin smiled back, his purple orbs shimmering. 

"No problem" he replied. Kaoru felt her cheeks grow hot. 'Oh my gosh! That was such a beautiful smile. And this time it was an actual smile! It wasn't a grin or a smirk' she thought. She quickly turned around and walked to the door. Kenshin watched her, 'I so saw her blush. She looks so cute when she does' he thought. Kaoru paused at the door making Kenshin give a look of curiosity.

"And Kenshin" she said. 

"Hm?" he asked. Kaoru turned her head to look at him.

"You have a nice smile. You should smile more often" she said. Kenshin blushed and bowed his head, luckily Kaoru just left when he blushed. 

  
  


~*~*~*~*~*~

  
  


Lunch ended rather quickly. They only had two more periods left until school ended. English and Science. (We'll just skip how it went in English class. Nothing much happened and I'm too lazy to say how it went) 

  
  


Professor Shishio, the science teacher, smacked his meter stick on his desk, instantly silencing the talkative students. 

"Alright! Listen here ya little f***ers. Y'all got a big science project due for me in 2 weeks. 2 weeks ya hear! So make a good use of that time. If you don't get that project in on time, you'll be in every day rewrapping my bandages and clipping my toenails for the rest of the year!! MWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!" Shishio cackled as everyone stared at him, their mouths wide open with their eyes bulging out. Even Kenshin, Aoshi, and Sano were in shock. The bandages didn't sound that bad compared to toenails. Shishio's toenails were long and black, with dirt scattered everywhere and a stench of rotten eggs and carrots (kind of what my sister's farts smell like, eww). Lets just say that his feet weren't the type that you'd want prompt up on you're coffee table.

Being the first to recover from the shock, Soujiro asked the Professor a question, "Um, Shishio-san, just what is the project supposed to be about anyways?". Shishio stopped cackling and glared at Soujiro.

"Well, I feel sheepish" he said sarcastically. "The project is supposed to be about an animal. You have to describe it's anatomy, how it mates, where it is in the food chain, yada yada yada, you know, the basic things about an animal. You and your partner can pick any animal you want. Remember this is a group project so don't have only one person do everything". Everyone nodded their heads. "Now, GET TO WORK!!!!!!!" he yelled. Everyone jumped in their seats. They turned to Soujiro, mentally asking him to ask the professor what they were all wondering. Soujiro sighed in defeat.

"Shishio-san, We-"

"WHAT??!!!" yelled Shishio. Soujiro jumped again.

"W-w-we were wondering who our partners are" he stuttered. Shishio growled, eying the class.

"ARE YOU KIDS STUPID OR SOMETHING?!! YOUR PARTNER IS THE SAME PERSON THAT'S YOUR PARTNER IN ALL YOUR OTHER CLASSES!! COMMON SENSE PEOPLE!!!" he screamed again. "NOW GET STARTED!!!! THIS PROJECT MUST TAKE AT LEAST AN HOUR EACH NIGHT!!" he soon lowered his voice to calm down (I know, he's in a serious need for therapy), "I suggest going to one partners house each night to get more productivity".

Kenshin's eyes flashed a bright purple as he perked up. Now Kaoru could come to his house more often. Everyone moved together with their partners. Kenshin got up and sat next to Kaoru. 

"So, which animal do you want to do?" he asked as he looked at her eyes. Kaoru turned her head away from him.

"I don't know, what do you wanna do?" she asked, crossing her arms and lifting her chin up, looking sophisticated. Kenshin smiled, she looked cute even when she was serious. Suddenly, Caleb, a creepy looking guy who happened to like Kaoru, came up to Kaoru asking if she had any white-out. She took out her pencil case and got her white-out. She handed it to him and turned back to Kenshin. Instead of leaving, Caleb sat down on the other side of Kaoru, tapped her shoulder, and started cracking cheesy, gay, jokes. Kaoru just nodded her head and turned back to Kenshin, but Caleb just kept tapping her and telling his stupid jokes. This made Kenshin's eyes turn amber, with anger. Caleb finished telling Kaoru another joke as she gave an uncomfortable laugh. He was about to start another when Kenshin interrupted him.

"Caleb, shut up" said Kenshin. Caleb glanced at Kenshin and was going to continue his joke when Kenshin punched him in the face. Caleb tumbled to the ground with blood running down his nose. Kenshin glared down at him. Kaoru turned her attention from the beat up Caleb to the steaming Kenshin. What first caught her attention was his burning amber eyes. 

'Weren't they just purple a minute ago?' she asked herself. Suddenly a clapping sound was heard at the front of the room. Kenshin and everyone else, except Kaoru (she's still staring at Kenshin) turning to see that Professor Shishio was clapping.

"Well done Mr. Himura. We thank you for shutting up that playboy wannabe" said the professor smiling. Everyone shrugged and continued to do their work. Kenshin turned his attention back to Kaoru, but was shocked that she was staring at him wide eyed. 

"Lion" she said. Kenshin raised an eyebrow.

"Wha?" he asked. 

"A lion. Lets do a lion" she said again, still staring at his eyes, which were now purple with little tints of amber.

"A lion? Sure, if that's what you want to do" he said. He took out a sheet of paper and starting talking about who should do what, but Kaoru ignored him and continued to study his face. His eyes swirled of purple and amber, his red bangs were messy, yet looked soft and shiny, not to mention touchable. The scar on his cheek from the rat, it healed pretty quick, yet Kaoru couldn't help but feel angry at the stupid rat for slashing Kenshin's beautiful face. And then there was his lips, they were moving, but she couldn't hear anything. She snapped back to reality to avoid any embarrassment.

"So what do you think?" asked Kenshin. Kaoru hadn't heard a single thing he said up until now.

"Uh, ya, sure. That's a great idea" was all she could think of saying at the time.

"Ok, come with me" he said as the bell rang. Kenshin grabbed her hand and led her down the hall. 'Where is he taking me?' she asked herself.

  
  


We'll find out in the next chapter...

MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I know, I'm evil. It's sort of a cliffy. You're all probably wondering where he's taking her. You'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out. I can't make any promises for the next time I'll be updating. Maybe if I get a reasonable amount of reviews then I'll update as soon as I can. Does 20-25 reviews for chapter 5 seem reasonable? My editor was saying that I should ask for 35-50, but I'm not that mean.

  
  


OMG!!! Last night I watched the end of the Seisouhen (something like that). IT'S SO SAD!!!! I STARTED CRYING SO MUCH!!!!! Those who have watched it know how I feel. ARGH!!! I hate it when a series ends!!!! THEY SUCK SO MUCH AT MAKING ENDINGS!!!! WHY??? WHY!?? 

Another anime movie I cried in was the Escaflowne movie: A Girl in Gaea. *Sniff* So sad. Why'd she leave him alone?? *Sniff* *sniff*. AND WHAT ABOUT COWBOY BEBOP?!! The 3rd last episode and the last episode were the saddest!! Poor Spike, and Ed!! I Love Ed! She's my hero. 

AND EVANGELION!!! DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THAT ENDING!!!!! It's all messed up. In the ending where they're on the beach and it ends, I sat there staring at the screen for five minutes thinking 'WHAT THE HELL?'. Those who've watched it know what I mean. And furthermore-

Sano: Shut up! You're so emotional! You forgot to thank those out there who made fanfiction.net. Without all those stories to cover up those endings, you'd be in your bed crying your eyes out and whining about everyone being separated.

*Dev: True! Thank you fanfiction.net for always being there for me when I just finished watching a sad ending. And thank you to all those authors out there who make it possible. Until next time...

  
  


Ttyl, bibi

*Dev

  
  


DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!! AND REMEMBER: 20-25 MORE REVIEWS FOR CHAPTER 5!! LUV Y'ALL!!!


	6. My Note

Hey all my reviewers! Guess what? No, I have not written the next chapter yet. My news is even better! I've got writers block! Great hey? Not really, I'm completely blank! I had what was going to happen next, but I need another event to be going on with the other couples. Plus, if I just update what I have so far, I'll get complaints about it being too short.

  
  


Please! If you have any ideas for Misao and Aoshi or Megumi and Sano please tell me! The sooner I get more ideas, the sooner I can get rid of my writer's block and type the next chapter.

  
  


Please, please, please review and give me ideas! I love you all, and I hate to make you wait! Until next time...

  
  


Ttyl, bibi

*Dev

GIVE ME YOUR IDEAS!! PLEASE! I'M DESPERATE!!


	7. Swordsmanship

I'm so sorry that I haven't updated for a while. Please forgive me, but I've seriously been so busy with school crap and all. Oh well, here's chapter 6.

  
  


Chapter 6

Underneath it All

  
  


*~*

"Ok, come with me" he said as the bell rang. Kenshin grabbed her hand and led her down the hall. 'Where is he taking me?' she asked herself.

~*~

  
  


Kenshin led Kaoru down the hall and stopped shortly in front of the boys locker room. Kaoru looked at where he led her and raised an eyebrow.

"Wait right here" he said. He walked into the boys locker room, leaving a curious Kaoru standing there watching as the door shut.

'Ok, I have no idea what the hell is going on, and if I just ask him, he'll make some remark about me having no brain cells or something. That stupid bastard!' she thought as she continued to stare at the door.

*10 minutes pass by*

'Where the hell is he?' Kaoru thought as she paced back and forth infront of the door. 'What on earth could he be doing that's making him take so long?'. She stopped pacing and looked back at the door. 'It wouldn't be so bad if I just took a peek. Nobody is around'. She looked down the hallway and made sure that no one was there. 

"Good. Nobody is here" she said after she made sure that no one was there to catch her. Looking straight ahead at the door she breathed, "Here it goes". Placing both hands on the door, she began to push, but then feeling something pull the door at the other end she felt gravity take her down.. 

Apparently, when Kaoru was pushing the door, Kenshin pull it on the other side really quickly, causing her to loose her balance and fall forward. 

Expecting to feel the sharp pain of hitting the pavement, she prepared herself for the fall. But it never came. She opened her eyes slowly and met the eyes of Himura Kenshin's amber ones. He had caught her just before she fell. Still staring at him, she kept her eyes glued on his eyes. Oh, how she loved his eyes. She could just stare at his eyes all day long. Kenshin raised an eyebrow after thirty seconds of Kaoru staring at him. Suddenly he broke into his trademark grin.

"I know I'm gorgeous, but that doesn't give you the right to start drooling on my gi" he smirked. Kaoru's eyes snapped open from hearing his statement. Kenshin smirked even more as Kaoru scowled and broke away from him. Her hand flew straight up and was about to slap his face until he caught it one inch from hitting his left cheek. His eyes grew cold as he tightened his grip on her wrist. Kaoru winced a little, but Kenshin's expression did not change.

"Lets go" he growled as he started to head out to the dojo, dragging Kaoru behind him. Upon entering the dojo, he shoved Kaoru onto one of the nearby benches. Literally, shoved her. Kaoru grabbed her wrist and massaged it gently, it was already starting to bruise. She looked up at Kenshin and noted that he was in the middle of the dojo with the rest of his friends and Professor Hiko. 

'So he brought me to his swordsmanship practice' she thought, still massaging her wrist. She winced as soon as she touched a very fresh dark bruise from Kenshin's fingertips digging into her. 'I know I was going to slap him, but he didn't have to grip my wrist so hard. It's already bruising'. 

The rest of the swordsmanship practice continued as Kaoru watched Kenshin move with grace and skill. Even though she was slightly mad at him for hurting her, she still had to admit that he was very good with his sword. After a couple of hours, the dojo became stuffy from the sweating members of the swordsmanship team. Kaoru thought she was going to puke at the smell of the sweat. Standing up she walked to the dojo entrance and stepped outside.

Looking at the setting sun, she admired it's beauty and watched it slowly disappear behind the horizon. As soon as the sun set and it turned dark, she came back to reality and realized what time it was.

"Oh my gosh! It's already suppertime, mom and dad are probably wondering wear I am!" she gasped. She was about to run to when someone grabbed her wrist. She winced at the pain from her wrist and turned around to see Kenshin. His expression was still cold like back at the locker room. She stiffened at the sight of him.

"Lets go. My swordsmanship practice is over." he said emotionless. He walked pass her still holding onto her wrist and led her to the parking lot where a limo waited patiently for them. 

"Aren't you going to change?" she asked. 

His grip tightened, causing her to wince again in pain. He replied coldly, "Don't ask any questions, we're going to work at my house for our project". They stopped infront of the limo's back door and Kenshin opened the door and pushed Kaoru in. "Get in" he commanded. Kaoru did as she was told and huddled near the window on the other side, peering outside. Kenshin got in and sat in the seat opposite of her. The ride to the house was quite and long. Both did not dare to utter a sound.

  
  


~*~*~

  
  


Well, that's chapter 6. Sorry if it's too short, but I'm not really in a writing mood right now and I hate to make you guys wait. Please review for this chapter! I'm in dyer need of some support. Please and Thank you.

  
  


Ttyl, bibi

*Dev

  
  


DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!!!!!!! 


	8. Kaoru's Embarrassing Debut

Gomen for not updating in a long time! Many of you guys had some questions about the last chapter. I'll answer them as soon as I'm done this chapter. Oh ya, last chapter I forgot to do a disclaimer. So I'll do double for this one.

Disclaimer #1: No, I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. I'm too poor right now.

Disclaimer #2: I really hate doing this, NO I DON'T OWN RUROUNI KENSHIN!!

  
  


Chapter um....8? No wait...7!

Underneath it All

~**~

'You only see 

What your eyes want to see,

How can life be

What you want it to be?

You're frozen,

When your heart is not open.'

-Frozen by Madonna

  
  


Last night was very frightening for Kaoru. Kenshin was acting so cold and distant. Not like the cocky, stuck-up, bastard she usually saw him as. Today she hoped that he'd be back to normal, then she'd get at him for bruising her wrist.

Looking at her wrist, she noticed that it was all blue and purple in some parts. Cringing her face in disgust, she grabbed her purple colored bandage roll and began wrapping her wrist while mentally cursing Kenshin in her head.

~*~

The first bell rung as Kaoru sped as fast as she could to get to school. 'Where the heck is my stupid science text book. Professor Shishio is going to kill me!'. Kaoru, with her misfortune, had searched all over her house looking for her text book, unaware of the time that passed bye. Thus, making her late.

After a while of running, she stopped to think, 'Wait a minute, Professor Shishio doesn't care if people are late! He never even does the attendance! He only cares about our assignments, plus he didn't assign us anything last night except for that stupid project which is due in two weeks!' Kaoru grinned at her sudden realization. Science was first period, so she could take all the time she wanted. The last bell rung and she was a good three blocks away from the school.

"MWHAHAHA!! Let it ring!!!!!!!" cackled Kaoru, who was suddenly in a hyperactive mood. Kaoru stopped cackling after a minute with her eyes wide open. "Oh my gosh! I'm starting to sound like the Professor! Maybe I should stop before I creep myself out." After that she shut her mouth and continued walking. 

Several minutes passed bye as she continued her way to the school, taking her sweet time by stopping by the café on the way and ordering some breakfast. Looking for that stupid text book had caused her to skip breakfast. She ordered 2 pancakes, one egg, and a glass of strawberry-kiwi juice. Consuming even more time, she ate her food slowly. Finishing off her juice, she exited the café and continued walking 'First period begun about 45 minutes ago. Oh well, that'll teach Kenshin for hurting my wrist last night. Yet, I still can't fight off the feeling that something is not right'she thought. She paused and started thinking if she forgot anything besides her science text. 'Lets see, lunch money-check, books-check, binder-check, pencil kit-check, bra...check! Everything seems to be in place' she thought. All of a sudden, a wave of reality hit her. She was late for home room! Home room with Professor Hiko!

"EEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!" 

Mailmen stopped in their tracks, Cars screeched to a halt, Birds flew from the trees, dogs paused and looked up from peeing on fire hydrants, and students all turned towards the windows. 

"What in Kami-sama's name was that?!"questioned Professor Shishio. Everyone looked at each other wide-eyed. 

"Whatever it was, it sounded like a raccoon choking on a squealing mouse" retorted Sano. Everyone nodded in agreement.

*Meanwhile*

Kaoru was panting like a dog with rabies. She ran the last two blocks like her life depended on it. Whenever a student was late for home room in Professor Hiko's class, the longer the student is late, the harsher the punishment. So far she was 55 minutes late, second period was about to begin. Unfortunately, she had Professor Hiko second period, so without wasting anymore time she barged into Professor Hiko's class.

"It's so nice of you to realize that there is school today Ms. Kamiya" said Professor Hiko in a monotone voice.

"Gomen, gomen, Professor Hiko. I lost my science text book and-" she was interrupted by the dinging of the bell. Students left the room, some even snickering at her bad luck.

"I want you to stay up here for a moment Kamiya" said Hiko, again in a monotone voice.

'This is not gonna be good...' thought Kaoru as she stood there as she was told. Her class started to flow into the room like water flooding a glass. Everyone seemed to ignore her as they came in, even Kenshin, Misao, and Megumi. She took a quick glance and noticed that his eyes were a glowing amber, just like they were after his swordsmanship practice last night. 'He's probably mad at me for not being there during science'. After everyone took their seats (except Kaoru) Hiko prepared himself for a lesson. Misao noticed Kaoru at the front of the room and thought, 'Oh no! Poor Kaoru, Professor Hiko is probably gonna do something really embarrassing to her'. Meanwhile Megumi sat there grinning like the fox she is. 'Hehe, Kaoru, you dumb tanuki. Whatever punishment the Prof. is going to give you, I'll be sure to take advantage of it'. 

Hiko took out a weird machine with two bulbs, one green saying 'True', the other red saying 'False', and with what looked like funny shaped headphones. "I bet you all are wondering what this odd looking instrument is", Everyone nodded their heads, "This, my stupid students, is a lie detector, and our own Ms. Kamiya will be the demonstration" finished Hiko. Kaoru's eyes widened. 'Shit!' her mind screamed. "Everyone will ask Ms. Kamiya one question. Have fun! Embarrass her as much you wish. It will be her little 'reminder' of what will happen the next time she is 55 minutes late. We'll start with Shinji". Hiko shoved the headphones on Kaoru's head and nodded at Shinji to begin. 

And then it started, Kaoru was asked a range of questions from: 'Are you a drag queen' to 'Are your breasts real?' all through which Kaoru was blushing like mad. Luckily for her, all she answered in 'No' were proven 'True'. Finally, it came to Misao's question. She smiled lightly at Kaoru, giving Kaoru the sense that she wasn't to ask her a super embarrassing question...or so she thought.

"Do you like someone?" grinned Misao. Kaoru's face dropped. 'You bitch! Misao, how could you?' After a couple seconds of silence Misao added on a "Hm?" bringing everyone to pay more attention. Kenshin looked up from his seat and gazed directly at Kaoru. It seems as though this was an interesting subject.

"No..." said Kaoru, slowly. Everyone, including Hiko, leaned in closer to see which bulb would light up. The seconds seemed to pass by ever so slowly as a light blinked from the bulb of the color...

  
  
  
  


And you'll find out the color in the next chapter.

Gomen for ending it so soon, but I'm really not in the mood to write. I know that it's been a month since I've updated and we just had the holidays, but lately I've been interested in making anime music videos. About 2-3 months ago, I made this K+K video to the song "#1 Crush" by Garbage. I love Garbage! You don't have to, but I do! Anyways, it's a pretty good video and I really want you people to see it. Yet, there's just one problem. I don't have a webpage to post it on and it's too big of a file to send. But don't worry, I plan on making a webpage after I've made about 4 more music videos. I'm well on my way since I made another music video of Kenshin to the song "It's Been a While" by Staind. Personally, I like this one better than my #1 Crush video.

To be honest, I sort of copied some of NHMK's video effects. NHMK is this really good one-person video production. He is a genius I tell you! He doesn't have any Rurouni Kenshin videos, but if you're interested in Cowboy Bebop, Escaflowne, Blood, and some other animes, than I really recommend that you go to his site and download them. I promise that you won't be disappointed. He is like my video hero! I really admire him.

Here's his website: www.nhmk.com

  
  


Now go there and get downloading! Oh, but before you go, please review please! And sorry I haven't done any review responses for like, forever, but I promise that I'll do them in the next chapter. I'm not sure when I'll be updating, so I can't really promise that you'll be seeing the next chapter anytime soon. I'm just in a video making mood for now. But I'll eventually get over it. Until next time...

  
  


Ttyl, bibi

*Dev

  
  


DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!!!! 


	9. This Love has Taken it's Toll on Me

Underneath It All

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin

Recap of the last chapter: 

"Do you like someone?" grinned Misao. Kaoru's face dropped. 'You bitch! Misao, how could you?' After a couple seconds of silence Misao added on a "Hm?" bringing everyone to pay more attention. Kenshin looked up from his seat and gazed directly at Kaoru. It seems as though this was an interesting subject.

"No..." said Kaoru, slowly. Everyone, including Hiko, leaned in closer to see which bulb would light up. The seconds seemed to pass by ever so slowly as a light blinked from the bulb of the color...

~*~*~**~*

A bead of sweat tentatively ran down Kaoru's brow as she stared down at the lie detector with hawk eyes. The silence in the room was so quiet that everyone could hear the faint beating of Kaoru's nervous heartbeat. 

One of the lights blinked brightly along with a low beep. Kaoru's eyes widened in shock as well as everyone else's. Kaoru stared at the evil depths of the red bulb as it continued to glow. 'Crap, now everyone is going to ask who it is! Damn, that bitch Misao!'

*Meanwhile*

Kenshin stared blankly at the red bulb. She had lied, lied about liking someone. Who is it? Could it be him? This, he was dying to know. He exchanged his stare to Kaoru who was continuing to stare at the bulb. As though she could feel his eyes on her, she glanced across the room and stared him straight in the eye. Shortly, she returned her eyes to the ground with a rosy blush upon her cheeks. A soft smile tugged at his lips when seeing this.

"So, Kaoru", interrupted Megumi. Kaoru shyly looked up at her. "Is this person a certain red-head?". All the feeling in Kaoru's face faded as she turned ghostly pale. Everyone at that instance, turned their attention to the back of the room where Kenshin sat. Kenshin stiffened to see what her answer was and if she was telling the truth. His gaze pierced into her like a thousand swords.

Kaoru turned back to her normal state after recovering from what her friends were doing to her. Opening her mouth, she let out a breath to speak.

RRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNGGG!!! 

The bell set off.

'Saved by the bell' thought Kaoru. "Well, I guess that I don't have to answer that question anymore" said Kaoru as she dashed out of the room before anything else could happen. 

The professor and the rest of the class just stared as she ran out of the room. "Anyways, I guess that's our class for today" said Hiko. 

Kenshin slumped down into his seat. Damn, he was about to find out if she liked him back. Stupid bell. Since he was the only red-head in the whole school, he was certain that Megumi was referring to him. 'I wonder if she likes me. I sure hope she does'.

*Lunch*

Kaoru, Misao, and Megumi quietly ate their lunch in their usual eating place. The eerie chirping and brush of the wind was starting to get to Misao's head. 'Stupid birds, they're always happy. I hate them' thought Misao as she glared at a red-breasted robin chirping on a branch of a nearby tree. 

"So..." started Megumi with her eyes closed as if she was in meditation. Kaoru and Misao avert their attention to the fox-like young woman. "Is it?". Kaoru and Misao look at one another in confusion. "Is it?" repeated Megumi, this time with a bit of irritation in her voice.

"Is it what Megumi?" said Kaoru. Megumi opened her eyes slowly.

"Are you stupid or something?" asked Megumi. Kaoru shot a glare at her.

"Just answer the question" hissed Kaoru through her teeth. Megumi rolled her eyes. Kaoru started to drink her Five Alive peach juice (yum) to calm herself.

"Is it a certain red-head?" asked Megumi. Kaoru's eyes shot open as she choked on her juice and exploded in a fit of coughs. Megumi grinned her special little evil grin. "I guess that answers my question".

After recovering from her coughing fit, Kaoru looked back at Megumi. "No it's not a 'certain red-head'!" said Kaoru as she wiped her chin.

"Oh come on Kaoru! It's written all over your actions. Whenever we say you like 'you know who', you go all defensive. That is one of the 10 signs that you like someone" said Megumi.

"Says who?" sneered Kaoru. Megumi dug in bag and pulled out a Cosmopolitan magazine.

"Says the people of Cosmopolitan magazine" said Megumi. She flipped the pages until she got to a page titled, "10 signs that you like someone". Megumi cleared her throat and began to read.

"Sign #1: You turn red and look at the floor when you do something embarrassing in front that certain someone" Megumi looked up at Kaoru, "like today, you turned red and you looked at the ground when the bulb turned red". Kaoru looked down at her hands. It was true. "Sign #2: You can't stop smiling when you make that person laugh, Sign #3: You become jealous when someone you hate goes near the one you like" Megumi paused to take a sip of her Diet Pepsi. "Sign #4: You feel happy when that person is happy, Sign #5: You feel sad when that person is sad, Sign #6: When receiving a compliment from that person, you hope to get that compliment all the time, Sign #7: Your physical appearance becomes more important to you, Sign #8: You begin to look at them straight in the eye more often, Sign #9: You look at their lips when they talk, and finally, Sign #10: you become defensive when accused of liking that person" Megumi shut the magazine with a quick slap. "Well, Kaoru. Do any of these signs sound familiar?"

Kaoru was lost in thought. Dear God! It is true! She does like him! More than half of those signs were true! Kaoru was so confused.

"Yo Kaoru?" said Misao as she snapped her fingers in front of Kaoru's face.

"Hmm?" asked Kaoru. 

"Well? Do they sound familiar? Or not?" said Megumi. Kaoru dropped her head and looked down at her lap.

"Yes, they do" murmured Kaoru. "I... I don't know what's with me". Megumi and Misao gave her a sympathetic look. "I mean... I guess a part of me likes him, like, when he's nice and he's not being an ass. But, there's just this other side of him that I don't like. He's so... he has three main personalities. One is kind, funny, caring, and a little protective. Another one is the rude, egotistical, and cocky bastard that we see in our class. And the last one... cold, emotionless, and distant. I just become so confused when his personality changes. I mean... ugh, I don't know what to think"

Megumi turned serious. She was only joking when she said that Kaoru liked Kenshin. Oh well, now it's serious. "Don't worry Kaoru. You don't have to think about now"

"Ya Kaoru! We will help you out whenever we can" piped up Misao. Kaoru faced her friends and smiled.

"Thank you. And to think that you people weren't understanding friends" grinned Kaoru.

"Oh thanks" said Misao, sarcastically. "We were only joking when we said that you like him. But now that you actually do, we'll take it seriously"

"You were only joking!? There I was, spilling my thoughts out to you people and you guys were only joking?!"

"Calm down Kaoru. Think of it this way. Now that it's a serious matter, we don't have to joke about it anymore" said Megumi.

"Oh fine. Well, just as long as you guys promise not to say anything" said Kaoru. Megumi and Misao gave her a sincere smile.

"Don't worry, we promise. We'll just have to let him figure it out by himself" grinned Misao.

*Meanwhile*

Kenshin and his group sat in their normal seats in the cafeteria, with all the dumb ugly girls giggling around them.

Kenshin finished his lunch early and watched as Aoshi and Soujiro were struggling to take a bite of their food while the mass of girls were constantly grasping their arms. Turning his gaze to Sano, he saw that the tall gangster had a bored expression upon his face as the same old girls from yesterday were endlessly clinging onto him.

"Yo, Sano. Wanna walk around?" asked Kenshin. Sano's eyes immediately dashed to Kenshin.

"YES PLEASE!" gasped Sano. "I was wondering if you'd ever ask". Kenshin lazily got up since for some reason, the girls seemed to be mostly attracted to Soujiro, Sano, and Aoshi today. Sano, on the other hand, had to literally push the girls off him as he stood up. Unfortunately, the annoying wenches just jumped back on him. Over and over again, he tossed the girls only to have them spring back on him. Soon, after 15 times of no success, he slumped his shoulders in defeat.

"You know, Kenshin. A little help would nice, IF IT ISN'T TOO MUCH TROUBLE!" yelled Sano. Kenshin chuckled at his best friend's current condition. 

"Alright, on the count of three. One... two...THREE" Kenshin grabbed Sano's hand as quickly as he could and dashed them both out of the cafeteria as a rainfall of girls flew off Sano's tall and lean body.

Running down the hall as fast as they could, they made their way to the rooftop. As soon as both of them were safely through the door, Kenshin slammed the door and locked it. Both stared at each other while they caught their breath. After their breathing levels were back to normal, a brief pause of silence rung between them. As if on cue, they burst out laughing.

"Did you see those girls fly?" laughed Kenshin, as he clutched his sides.

"They're so stupid! Even if you told them that, they'd still act as though you never said it!" laughed Sano.

The boys continued to laugh as they made cracks about the slutty whores. 

5 minutes have passed by and they soon stopped laughing. Kenshin walked over to the wire railing that bordered the rooftop. Looking down, he saw Kaoru, Misao, and Megumi giggling and talking. He couldn't hear what they were saying so he just continued to stare at Kaoru. Sano walked up next to him and leaned on the railing. After noticing that Kenshin seemed to be concentrating on something, he followed Kenshin's gaze to Kaoru.

"Do you like her?" asked Sano, bluntly. Kenshin's face paled as he moved his stare to Sano.

"No" said Kenshin, with an irritated vibe to it. After that, he walked to the middle of the rooftop and lied down, soaking up the sun through his tanned skin.

"It's alright to like her. I don't really care" said Sano while he looked up into the sky.

"I don't like her. She's a loser. A person of lower class and popularity. A person of no importance to this society." hissed Kenshin. Ever word he just said was not true, but he wouldn't admit it to anyone. Sano, closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath.

"Man, I don't get you. Does it really matter if a person has many friends or how much money they have?"

"Of course it matters. If that person doesn't have a high reputation, they aren't worthy of my presence" said Kenshin, as he continued to relax in the warmth of the sun.

"Kenshin, popularity and reputation are two very different things. I mean, a person could have a high reputation of being the nicest person in the world, but could only have one friend. A person could have a million friends, but a reputation of being an asshole" said Sano.

"Sano, not now" sneered Kenshin.

"Kenshin, when will you get over this whole thing about 'loser people'. It's so stupid. I mean, we're popular right? But that doesn't mean that we're better than everyone else. Everyone is popular in their own way. They don't need to have a million friends or be pretty. So when will you get it straight that everyone is equal?"

"You sound like my mother" mumbled Kenshin.

"But I'm right aren't I?" grinned Sano.

"Sano, in this society, the motto is 'to have better world, the strong must lead the weak'. If I am weak, than I'll be pushed around by the strong, if I am strong, I will push around the weak."

"You say that you don't want to become like your brother, yet everyday, you become more like him" said Sano, as he turned to face Kenshin. Kenshin's eyes shot open as he bolted directly at Sano and caught his throat. Sano stared dumbfounded at the burning tiger eyes of his best friend. 

"Don't ever compare me to Katsura! I've told you many times before and I'll tell you again, I will never desert my family or my loved ones for power. So don't you dare EVER compare me to that bastard!" growled Kenshin. Sano's eyes turned cold as he flung Kenshin's hand off his throat and backed away from him.

"How can I not compare you two. You don't trust your mother, you don't trust Soujiro, you don't trust Aoshi, you don't even trust me" declared Sano. "Your brother didn't trust anyone either, so why the fuck do you expect me to not compare you to him?"

"He is not my brother. I don't need to trust anyone if I don't want to. When I gave my trust to people, they broke it. From then on, I choose not to trust anyone" hissed Kenshin.

Sano narrowed his eyes."The only person who ever broke your trust was Tomoe."

"Don't you dare bring Tomoe into this" snapped Kenshin.

"Why the hell do you still defend her? She broke your heart with that Akira guy! She only went out with you to become popular! Why?! Why do you defend her? She is just a slut that wanted to gain a reputation!" yelled Sano. Kenshin narrowed his eyes and shot at Sano with his fist. Sano stumbled backward a few steps, clutching his bloody jaw.

"I told you not to bring Tomoe into this!" growled Kenshin. Sano removed his hand from his face and looked at the blood smeared on his palm.

The two best friends eyed each other with hatred. Circling each other like two lions ready to tear each other apart, they clenched and unclenched their fists. Finally pausing, they gave one other one last death glare before rushing at each other.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Kaoru and her friends sat down in their home room seats while the room began to flood with the other students. The last bell rung as Professor Hiko began doing the attendance. Kaoru looked around the room to find that Sano and Kenshin weren't there. As Hiko was reading off the last of the names, the door flew open with Principal Yumi pinching Kenshin and Sano's ears. Kaoru's eyes widened when she ran her eyes over their appearances. Kenshin had a black eye on his left socket, his black shirt was missing a sleeve, one half of it was completely torn along the right side of his tanned chest, his right cheek was bruised black, there was a deep red line across his neck, his knuckles were all bruised and bleeding, blood was running from his nose, forehead, and mouth, and most of all his left elbow looked dislocated. Sano's appearance was no different to Kenshin's, except instead of a dislocated elbow, his whole left arm was dislocated. 

"I found these two fighting in the courtyard. Apparently, they both fell from the rooftop, where they dislocated their arms" sneered Yumi. "Since the nurse isn't here today, I'll need Megumi to repair these rats". 

Hiko sighed and rubbed his forehead. "It seems that my stupid students are becoming more stupid each year."

"Tell me about it" sighed Yumi. Megumi raised her hand. 

"Yes Megumi?" said Hiko without even looking up.

"Um, I was wondering if Kaoru may help me out. I mean, there are two boys and only one of me" asked Megumi, while she fiddled with a lock of her long, ebony hair.

"Very well. Let's go" shrugged Yumi. She yanked the boys with her down the hall to the nurses room with Kaoru and Megumi following close behind.

Putting Kenshin on the far end of the room and Sano on the complete opposite of the room, Yumi left the girls to cure the boys. Megumi grabbed the first aid kit from the shelf in the middle of the room and gave Kaoru brief instructions on what to do.

"Ok, you're gonna have to pop his elbow back into place, now what you do is grab his forearm and upper arm, holding it at a 90* angle, then you just snap it into place, ok?" said Megumi. Kaoru just nodded her head. Turning towards Kenshin with all the medical supplies, she strolled over to him. He was sitting in the comfy red chair next to the window. Placing the supplies on the table nearby, she sat down in the seat next to him.

"Um, this might hurt" she said timidly. Gently grasping his arm she held it at a 90* angle like Megumi said. 'Just snap it into place' repeated in Kaoru's mind. "Ready?". Kenshin just continued to stare out the window as though he never heard her question. 'Fine, be that way' thought Kaoru with anger. Unfortunately, her thoughts took over her body as she roughly snapped his arm into place. Kenshin let out a scream of pain.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" yelled Kenshin. Kaoru glared back at him.

"Fixing your arm, you ungrateful bastard!" hissed Kaoru. 'Crap, I'm yelling at him, I better do something quick before he yells back at me'. Before Kenshin could open his mouth, Kaoru was dabbing his lips and chin from the dried out blood with a warm cloth. Settling down, Kenshin just stared at Kaoru as she concentrated on cleaning the caked on blood without applying too much pressure. After she was done with his mouth she started on his nose.

"So..." started Kaoru. Kenshin continued to watch her. "What happened?"

Kenshin's eyes glared at her, "None of your business" he growled. Kaoru let out a sigh. 'If he doesn't want to tell me, he doesn't have to'.

"Alright then" said Kaoru as she washed the cloth and gentle dabbed his forehead. "You don't have to tell me". Kenshin stared boggled at Kaoru. Kaoru moved her gaze to look him straight in the eye. "I'm here listen when you need me to".

"Hey guys, I'm gonna turn on the radio alright?" said Megumi from the other side of the room.

"Kay" said Kaoru, never once leaving her gaze from Kenshin's eyes.

"I was so high, 

I did not recognize,

The fire burning in her eyes,

The chaos that controlled my mind,

Whispered goodbye,

She got on a plane,

Never to return again,

But always in my heart...

This love has taken it's toll on me,

She said goodbye, too many times before,

Her heart is breaking in front of me,

And I have no choice, 'cause I won't say goodbye anymore,

Oh, Oh, Oh,

Oh, Oh, Oh,

Oh, Oh, Oh...

Song: "This Love" by: Maroon 5

Disclaimer: I don't own the song above.

AND THAT'S CHAPTER...UM, I THINK 9? So, what did you think? Do you love it? Hate it? I hope that it was long enough. I'm so sorry for the near 3 months update. I've been so busy with school and music videos, oh, and writer's block. THANK GOD MY WRITER'S BLOCK IS GONE!! Now, I'm in the mood to write, write, WRITE!!! 

I'm planning on starting a pirate fic for Rurouni Kenshin. I'm probably gonna start writing it on maybe, say Thursday. Please review it as soon as I post it up!!

And here are the Review Responses for chapter 8:

Oblivion's Hatred: Next time I'll try to make the chapter longer. I hope that this was long enough. I'm sorry for the late update. Thanks for reviewing!

Mori'quessir: Thanks for finding the last chapter hilarious.

Dark-elmo: I think that you miss understood the part about her answering the questions in the last chapter. Whenever she said "No" to a question and the bulb said "True", it means that she was telling the truth to the question. So when she said that her boobs were real, it meant that she was telling the truth.

MizzLee: I'll try to make it longer next time.

LeaD: Sorry for the late update.

Galandria the Vampire Queen: Thanks for reviewing.

Shura-shan27: lol. Thanks for the review.

Kaname-chan: Sorry for the late update. But thanks for reviewing.

Randomxthoughts: Thanks for the review!

Laurika: lol. Sorry for the late update.

Kitsune KeNsHiN: thanks I've made a couple music videos: Here Without You for Inuyasha, Touched for Inuyasha, and Gravity of Love for Evangelion.

Thank you all for reviewing and I am sincerely sorry the super late update. If there were some weird parts in this chapter, please excuse them. My sister is kicking me off the computer, so I guess that it's goodbye for now...

Until next time.. Oh wait, I'm not sure when I'll be updating so don't tell me to rush ok? Ok!

Ttyl, bibi

*Dev


	10. Why Can't I

Underneath It All

Chapter 10, Why Can't I

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin

Recap of the last chapter:

"So..." started Kaoru. Kenshin continued to watch her. "What happened?"

Kenshin's eyes glared at her, "None of your business" he growled. Kaoru let out a sigh. 'If he doesn't want to tell me, he doesn't have to'.

"Alright then" said Kaoru as she washed the cloth and gentle dabbed his forehead. "You don't have to tell me". Kenshin stared boggled at Kaoru. Kaoru moved her gaze to look him straight in the eye. "I'm here to listen when you need me to".

"Hey guys, I'm gonna turn on the radio alright?" said Megumi from the other side of the room.

"Kay" said Kaoru, never once leaving her gaze from Kenshin's eyes.

Several weeks passed bye. Each week Kenshin and Kaoru became closer and closer. Of coarse, Kenshin never really hung with her at school or much. They had a friendly relationship outside of school. Soon enough, Kenshin would have to tell Kaoru how he feels, but in his mind, the burning feeling of being seen with a 'commoner' still hovered over his head like thin air.

This morning Kenshin was going to meet Kaoru at Tim Hortons for breakfast. Walking leisurely down the sidewalk, Kenshin had many thoughts running through his head. Thoughts of his relationship with Kaoru and if she really was worth his reputation.

Among entering the donut and coffee shop, he spotted Kaoru sitting at a table in the far corner. Kaoru, sensing his presence, looked up at him and gave a soft smile. He couldn't help but smile back at her. Taking the seat directly across from her, Kenshin set down his backpack in the seat next to him.

"Hey you" smiled Kaoru. She was wearing a pair of simple blue jeans and a yellow tank top underneath a red zip-up jacket sweater. Her hair was pulled back in it's usual high ponytail. Not a bit of make up coated her face, except for the nude pink lip gloss that shimmered on top of her lips.

"Hey" he said. He wore a black sweater that framed his lean body, as well as a pair of black jeans.

"So, what do you want?" she asked. Kenshin looked at her and took out his wallet to take out a ten dollar bill.

"I'll have a medium Iced Cappuccino and a Chicken Noodle Soup" he said. Kaoru took his money and got up.

"Ok, I guess I'll take a chocolate chip muffin and iced tea" she took out her wallet and started taking some money out.

"What are you doing?" asked Kenshin.

"I'm getting money for my breakfast" said Kaoru, still fishing through her wallet for money.

"Just use my ten. I'll pay for you" he said.

"Are you sure? I mean, I don't like being in debt to someone" exclaimed Kaoru.

"Go ahead. You don't need to owe me back. Money ain't that important to me" he muttered. Kaoru shrugged and put her wallet back in pocket. She then proceeded to the line up.

Kenshin relaxed in his seat and looked out the window to enjoy the calm scenery outside. His eyes widened when his eyes noticed a group of his fellow classmates heading in their direction about a block away.

"Shit" he said under his breath. Quickly grabbing both backpacks he headed for Kaoru and grabbed by the arm and started heading into the park.

"Kenshin, what are you doing? We haven't even eaten breakfast yet and I'm hungry" said Kaoru, her eyes questioning. Kenshin kept walking forward at a non-stop pace, dragging Kaoru behind him.

"Something came up" said Kenshin. He glanced behind him and saw his classmates less than half a block from them. He then ran into the woods next to the park and hid behind a tree with Kaoru. Dropping their backpacks on the ground, he peered behind the tree and saw the students pass by the park.

"Kenshin, what's wro-" Kaoru was silence when Kenshin roughly pulled her head into the crook of his neck. Kaoru flushed a little at the fact that Kenshin's arms were wrapped around her and she was breathing in his tempting scent. Kenshin continued to watch the students pass bye. He could feel Kaoru's hot breath against his neck, which sent tingling feelings through his body, but he focused his attention on the classmates. Once they had disappeared from his sight he let out breath of relief. Realizing that he was holding Kaoru, he looked down at her. She was practically melted against him. He felt her bury her face deeper into his neck. Feeling vulnerable at the moment, he decided to let himself enjoy the feeling of having Kaoru close to him. More thoughts began to run through his head. Desire, warmth, happiness...guilt. He was guilty for treating Kaoru this way. Even though Kaoru was oblivious to why they suddenly ran out of Tim Hortons, Kenshin still felt horrible for not telling her the truth.

He embraced her tighter as he felt the guilt eat up inside of him more and more.

Kenshin and Kaoru walked home together since they both headed in the same direction.

"Kenshin? Um, about this morning" said Kaoru. Kenshin's face tensed.

"I'm sorry" said Kenshin. He was about to continue when Kaoru began talking again.

"I didn't know that you wanted to take our relationship one step further..." she said as her face showed a tint of pink. Kenshin stared shocked at her. Kaoru looked over at him.

"That was why you held me right?" asked Kaoru. Kenshin paused for a moment to think. 'She doesn't know the real reason why I did that'

"Uh...ya...Of course" he said after he thought it over. Kaoru gave him the biggest smile that he ever saw. At the moment they stood in front of her house.

"So... um... I guess... I ... uh" Kaoru stumbled.

"I'll call you on Saturday" said Kenshin. Kaoru let out a little laugh and blushed.

"Ok. Um, I talk to you later then" said Kaoru.

"Ok" said Kenshin, still trying to get over what he just said.

"Bye" said Kaoru quickly. Kenshin, whose mind was boggled at the moment breathed out a quick "Bye" as well.

Kaoru shut the door and left Kenshin standing there. 'Fuck. What have I gotten myself into?' he thought to himself.

Saturday Afternoon

Laying on his king size bed, Kenshin stared at the phone in his hand. Inside, he was having a battle between either calling Kaoru to ask her out on a date or to stand her up and not call her.

In the background, he heard the radio playing a song.

"Get a load of me, get a load of you,

Walking down the street and I hardly know you,

It's just like we were meant to be..."

Kenshin put the phone down and covered his head with his pillow.

"Holding hands with you when were out at night,

Got a girlfriend, you say it isn't right,

And I've got someone waiting too"

"But this is just the beginning,

We're all ready wet and we're gonna go swimming"

Kenshin shut his eyes tight, trying to find a way to ignore the lyrics.

"Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you?

Why can't I speak whenever I talk about you?

It's inevitable, it's the kite that we're gonna get down to Earth,

So tell me, why can't I breathe whenever I think about you..."

The moment that he first saw Kaoru popped in his head.

"Whenever I think about you..."

Kaoru blushing.

"Whenever I think about you..."

Kaoru smiling.

"Whenever I think about you..."

Kaoru laughing.

"Whenever I think about you..."

Growing frustrated at all these feelings, Kenshin grabbed the phone and dialed Kaoru's number. When I receiver picked up he listened to hear if it was Kaoru.

"Hello?" asked a sweet toned voice.

"Hey Kaoru?" started Kenshin.

"Kenshin? Oh hey! What's up?" Kaoru said.

"Listen, I was wondering if you're busy tonight"

"No, why?"

"Do you want to go somewhere with me?"

"Sure! Where?"

"It's a surprise"

"Oh, ok. Sure, what should I wear?"

Kenshin paused for a moment to think.

"I dunno, it's up to you"

"Ok!"

"Ya, so, I'll pick you up at 8 o'clock?"

"Sounds good to me!"

"Alright, I'll see you then"

"Kay" Both hung up the phone. Kenshin flopped down onto his bed and stared up at the roof. He drew in a deep breath. Letting it out after a few seconds, Kenshin forced on a small happy smile.

Disclaimer: I don't own "Why Can't I" by Liz Phair

Sorry for the shortness of this chapter, but I'm not really in the mood to write this story. If it is crap, I apologize. It's just that I'm very stressed from all the school work I've got. I have this massive project in Social about Fashion History in Russia. It's not due for a while so I'm relaxing right now. Luckily for me, I finished all my work in class yesterday so I have no homework for the weekend. Yay! Maybe, if I feel better I'll update my other fanfic, "Waves of Love".

Now, I'm glad people out there actually have some courtesy and actually review my story. I am aware that some people read my story, or they have me on their favorite's list, or they have me on their author alert list, but they don't actually leave me any review. Reviews help keep me motivated to write and they also help me become happy when I've had a crappy ass day. I love getting reviews, so it really bugs me when people just read something that took me a while to write and they don't even bother to give like a fricken minute just to review! It makes me feel as though the hours I took to write a chapter are not being appreciated by those who read.

So, please just give me a review if you really care about this story and about this author's feelings. I thank anyone who has taken time out of their day to review my story. You all deserve a cookie.

Anyways, just review now if you haven't already. Oh wait! Today I went to the Otafest at the University of Calgary! There was so much anime and the cosplay was amazing! There was a guy who dressed up as Kenshin. He didn't talk much, but his costume was really good. I'll stop yapping now.

No promises on when the next time I'll be updating.

Until next time...

Ttyl, bibi

Dev

DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	11. Just a Toy

Underneath It All

Chapter 11: Just a Toy

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin

Recap of the last chapter:

"Ya, so, I'll pick you up at 8 o'clock?"

"Sounds good to me!"

"Alright, I'll see you then"

"Kay" Both hung up the phone. Kenshin flopped down onto his bed and stared up at the roof. He drew in a deep breath. Letting it out after a few seconds, Kenshin forced on a small happy smile.

"Kenshin, where are you taking me?" asked Kaoru as the wind blew in her face as they drove in Kenshin's black convertible on a long road outside of the city. Kenshin gave her a quick glance with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "If you try anything funny, I swear I won't hesitate to hurt you" she warned.

Kenshin let out a low chuckle to her warning. "Don't worry, I won't and besides, there's no way you could hurt me" he said arrogantly.

"Why you-"

"We're here" interrupted Kenshin as he slowed down and eventually came to a stop. Kaoru looks around in confusion before she noticed that Kenshin got out of the car and was sitting on the hood of the car. Kaoru got out and sat next to him.

"Some surprise, we're sitting here looking at a deserted countryside" snorted Kaoru. Kenshin smiled and reached his hand to her chin. He then directed her chin upwards. Kaoru gasped at what she was looking at. The sky coated in millions of stars! Kaoru just gapped. "It's so beautiful".

"I had a feeling that you would like it" said Kenshin.

"Like it? I love it! Wow! Kenshin, this so nice" awed Kaoru. Kenshin stared at Kaoru. She looked as though she was a child admiring a ginormous teddy bear.

He took this moment to slide his hand around her waist and pulled her towards him. He felt her body tense for a moment before relaxing. Kenshin felt his insides tingle when Kaoru rested her head against his neck.

The two sat there in the night watching the stars in each other's company.

A couple hours went bye and Kaoru felt slumber taking her over. Stifling a yawn that yearned to come out, Kaoru closed her eyes to keep it in. Glancing over at Kenshin to see if he noticed, she was surprised to see that he was looking directly at her. She quickly averted her gaze away and looked at the stars.

"We'd better go back. It's getting pretty late" said Kenshin. Kaoru faced him with those big blue eyes. She watched as he got up from the hood of the car and into the driver's seat. Soon after, Kaoru followed his lead.

Kaoru took one last gaze at the stars before Kenshin turned on the engine and they left the deserted area behind them.

-The Next Morning-

Kenshin stood outside in the courtyard smoking a cigarette. The intoxicating chemicals seemed to help his frazzled mind. Part of him wanted to forget about what Sanosuke said, while the other part wanted him to tell Kaoru the truth. The truth...

The truth that he really liked her.

The truth that he really liked her, but didn't want to ruin his reputation.

The truth that he really liked her, but didn't want to ruin his reputation by being seen with her.

The truth that he really liked her, but didn't want to ruin his reputation by being seen with her, so he'd always hide or choose a secluded place to meet.

He hated the guilt that was lingering over him like a dark cloud, he hated this weird feeling that he felt towards Kaoru, but most of all, he hated himself for everything that went wrong in his life. He wasn't supposed to feel compassion for anyone. Not after what Tomoe did to him. He remembered it like a movie playing over and over again in his head.

_He met Tomoe in grade nine. The first day that she walked into the classroom, he couldn't take his eyes off her. She looked like a delicate doll with her milky white skin, deep brown eyes, and long ebony hair flowing freely around her torso. She was beautiful, with not a flaw at all. He had wanted to get to know her better so he did anything to grab her attention. She was new so he volunteered to show her around. As they walked around the school Tomoe told him about herself like where she was from, why she came here, and who she was staying with. Tomoe was the most intriguing thing to him._

_As the days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and months eventually turned into years, Kenshin and Tomoe soon became close. Kenshin had introduced her to everyone that was worthy of being known. Tomoe became well known throughout the school by everyone. For Tomoe, this really meant a lot. Being raised in a torn apart family, things weren't always great. Her father was always constantly beating her mother and herself. When she turned 10 her mother commit suicide by stabbing herself with a large broken glass shard after her father had slammed her mother's head into a mirror. This had an everlasting affect on Tomoe, for she witnessed the whole thing._

_Her father beat her after her mother died and blamed her for everything wrong in his life. He told her that she was ugly, that she had no further purpose in life, and that she was a worthless tramp with no value. Through all those years of being beaten, Tomoe vowed that she would prove him wrong._

_When she was transferred into a new junior high she met Kenshin. After noticing that he was well-known throughout the school, she thought of a plan to prove to her father that she was not a 'worthless tramp with no value'._

_After several months, Tomoe worked her way to supreme popularity. She didn't know a single person that did not love her. Kenshin was whipped good by her charm and beauty. She was like an angel that God had given to him. But this angel was not all loving and caring. This angel was corruptive and deceiving. _

_Kenshin was definitely convinced that he was in love with her by the last two months of school. When he built up the courage to confess his feelings to her, she told him that she did not return his feelings. His world had reached back and slapped him across the face. He remembered her last words before she turned her back on him forever._

_"Kenshin. I want to let you know I don't love you back" her voice was as emotionless as the dead._

_"I-I-I don't understand" quivered Kenshin as he felt a knife tearing up his heart._

_Tomoe let out an annoyed sigh. "Don't you get it? You're like a toy, Kenshin. Once I've finished playing with you, you no longer have a purpose to me". Kenshin just stared at her with wide eyes. He could feel the hot tears burning in his eyes, but he blinked them back to wash them away._

_"You are just my toy Kenshin. My toy that helped me prove my father wrong" Tomoe closed her eyes to relish the feeling of victory. Opening them after a brief moment she looked back at Kenshin._

_"I never loved you. I never will. I could never love a toy"_

Kenshin blinked those memories away. He did not want to remember them now, not later, not ever. Puffing up another breath of the cigarette, he closed his eyes. A gentle breeze brushed past him causing his long fiery-red hair to flow in the air. It was these calm and quiet moments that Kenshin cherished whenever he could.

Thinking about everyone and everything that had gone on in his life, Kenshin allowed his thoughts to drift back to a certain someone.

_Kaoru._

He loved the way her name just rolled off his tongue. She gave him a reason to love every moment of life that was given to him. On the other hand, he remembered the dying guilt inside of him. He had to tell her the truth, but first he had to talk it over with someone else.

"Sano. I'll talk to Sano" said Kenshin to himself. He smeared his cigarette in the ash tray next to the smoking tree and headed back into the school.

Forgive me for the lack of action in this chapter, but I really wanted to get more "in-depth" with Kenshin and Tomoe's relationship, or what their relationship was. Also, please do not complain for the shortness of this chapter. I promise that I'll try to make the next chapter longer. Right now my brain is in lazy mode so if there is grammar errors please forgive me.

This chapter is probably the most angsty out of all the other chapters in this story.

I'll try to update before July 11th, because I'll be leaving for the Philippines on that day. Plus, I still need to pack. Ugh! I'm so bored right now and I don't feel like typing more.

Oh ya, if you guys have any ideas on what should happen next, please, please give them to me.

Until next time...

Ttyl, bibi

Dev__


	12. Don't Want the World to See Me

Underneath It All

Chapter 12: Don't Want the World to See Me

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin

Recap of the last chapter:

Thinking about everyone and everything that had gone on in his life, Kenshin allowed his thoughts to drift back to a certain someone.

_Kaoru._

He loved the way her name just rolled off his tongue. She gave him a reason to love every moment of life that was given to him. On the other hand, he remembered the dying guilt inside of him. He had to tell her the truth, but first he had to talk it over with someone else.

"Sano. I'll talk to Sano" said Kenshin to himself. He smeared his cigarette in the ash tray next to the smoking tree and headed back into the school.

* * *

Kenshin felt himself staring at Kaoru throughout the day. He saw her when she laughed, when she smiled, when she was concentrating on her work... God, he couldn't take his eyes off her. Yet every time he saw her happy face he felt the guilt inside of him burning deeper and deeper into his body.

The last bell rung and the students and teacher started gathering up their stuff and leaving. Kenshin just sat in his seat and continued to watch Kaoru. Sano turned to his best friend and was about to speak when he noticed Kenshin's dazed off look. Following the direction Kenshin was looking at, Sano pinpointed Kaoru. His eyes shuffled back and forth between the blank Kenshin and Kaoru who was gathering up her books. He noticed Kaoru glance in Kenshin's direction and smile at the expressionless redhead. A grin tugged at Sano's lips when he saw Kenshin turn a shade of pink before smiling back at Kaoru.

Once Kaoru left the room along with her friends Soujiro, Aoshi, and Sano stood up to leave. Soujiro and Aoshi walked ahead threw the door discussing their math project. Sano followed suit, but paused at the door to see Kenshin staring at Kaoru's seat.

"Yo, man! You coming?" said Sano. Kenshin blinked himself back to reality and looked at Sano who was waiting casually at the door. He seemed to stare at him for a moment before nodding and grabbing his backpack.

* * *

As they walked in the hall a couple feet behind Aoshi and Soujiro, Kenshin seemed to fiddle with his hands; which Sano noted instantly.

"You OK? You seem to be out of it lately" exclaimed Sano. Kenshin's face stiffened for a brief moment before turning normal again. He let out a breath, scratched the back of his head, and turned to Sano.

"Actually, there is something that I'd like to talk to you about..." breathed Kenshin.

"Sure man, anything. We can talk about it at McDonald's-"

"No, I need to discuss this with **you.** I can't talk about it with Aoshi and Soujiro just yet" interrupted Kenshin. Sano stared at him for a moment.

"Alright then. But you have to buy me food later on, OK?" said Sano. Kenshin nodded at his friend's request. Sano then turned to Aoshi and Soujiro who were still walking way a head of then.

"Soujiro, Aoshi. Can we have a rain check on McDonald's? Kenshin and I need to talk about something." called Sano. Aoshi and Soujiro turned at looked at the two.

"That's OK. At least now I won't have to buy you an extra three Big Macs because you don't have enough money" joked Soujiro. Kenshin, Soujiro, and Aoshi chuckled at that while Sano glared at Soujiro.

"Well, I guess we'll see you guys tomorrow" said Kenshin. Soujiro and Aoshi waved at the two before turning and walking out the door. Kenshin and Sano watched them leave before talking again.

"So where do you wanna talk?" asked Sano.

"Where we usually talk" replied Kenshin.

* * *

Kaoru skipped happily ahead of Misao and Megumi while humming a random tune. Megumi noted her friend's sudden change and bluntly said, "Why is our little Tanuki so happy lately?"

Kaoru stopped skipping and turned around with a wide smile. Megumi and Misao stared at her with wide eyes and their mouths gapping open as though they wanted bugs to fly in their mouths. Normally Kaoru would get all pissed off when Megumi called her a tanuki.

"Why is the sky blue? Why do the birds chirp? Why does a cat purr when you scratch it behind the ears? Why-"

"Are you high?" asked Misao with a concerned look on her face. Kaoru stopped smiling and looked at her. "Kaoru, if you're on drugs we can help you. My cousin knows a great psychiatrist; I believe the same one that's been trying to cure Professor Shishio. He's a great psychiatrist from what I've heard-"

"Hey! Hey! Misao, I'm not on drugs. What's wrong with being happy once in a while?" said Kaoru.

"But Kaoru, you're an awkward-creepy kind of happy" stated Megumi as Kaoru shifted her attention from Misao to Megumi. "I mean, I haven't seen you this cheerful since the last time you claimed that you loved..." Megumi drifted off as she thought some more. Kaoru and Misao looked at her with curious faces. Megumi's eyes lit up as she found an answer. "Oh my gosh! You like someone!". Kaoru's mouth dropped open.

Megumi had that fox-like grin spread across her face, her eyes reflecting triumph as though they were saying 'I've won! I've won!'.

"E-excuse me! I-I-I do not! H-how would y-you k-know?" stuttered Kaoru. Megumi grinned even more, if that was even possible.

"It's so obvious! You like someone! Who is he? Who is he? I wanna know!" jumped Megumi. Kaoru sweat dropped.

This was not good...

* * *

Kenshin and Sano lounged on the rooftop of the school. Kenshin had just finished telling Sanosuke everything; his feelings for Kaoru, the situation of their relationship, and how he should approach it. Sano lay on the ground taking in his best friend's information. Kenshin leaned against the railing staring up at the sky as he waited for Sano's opinion.

"To be honest, Kenshin. The best thing for you to do is to be straight forward with Kaoru" said Sano with his eyes closed. Kenshin turned to him in shock.

"Excuse me? I can't! What am I suppose to say? 'Hey Kaoru. I really like you and all, but if people heard about us than you'd ruin my reputation' or maybe, 'I haven't felt this way about someone in a long time, it's too bad that the last time I felt this way the girl I was with broke my heart so now I'm paranoid that you might do the same'" Kenshin let out an exasperated breath.

"Or you could make up an excuse like, 'I'm gay', 'I'm a bisexual', or 'I'm a cross-dresser'" joked Sano. Kenshin narrowed his eyes at him, grabbed his backpack and whipped it at the taller boy's stomach. Sano let out a groan. "I was only kidding Kenshin"

"Try to be serious for once, Sano! I'm asking you for _good _advice and all you're doing is just laughing in my face. Ugh! I knew it! Talking to you was just a waste of-"

"Hey! Hey! Calm down Kenshin. I was just trying to lighten up your mood on the whole situation" exclaimed Sano, finally opening his eyes and looking his redheaded friend in the eye. "I didn't mean to offend you". Kenshin glared at his friend for a moment before relaxing.

Letting out a sigh, Kenshin closed his eyes, leaned his head back and scratched his head. "So tell what you think?" he said as he opened his eyes and gazed into Sano's.

"Like I said before, tell her the truth-". Kenshin opened his mouth to protest, but Sano quickly continued, "but **_slowly_**__ ease her into it. Start off by telling her about your past, about Tomoe, and say that 'it really hurt me during that time. Hopefully nothing like that would ever happen again'. Y'know, something like that".

Kenshin turned away for a minute and thought about it. Knowing Kaoru, she would definitely be heartbroken if he was straight forward and told her that she meant nothing to him, which was a complete lie. No! He would do what Sano recommended. He would **_slowly _**__ease her into it. Yes!

"Alright. I'll do that. Thanks for the advice Sanosuke" said Kenshin as he turned back to Sano who was now standing up. Sano just smiled at him, grabbed his backpack and headed for the door as Kenshin watched him.

"I'm gonna go now. I don't think my stomach can hold out any longer. So I'll see you tomorrow Kenshin" said Sano once he was at the door.

Just as he was about to leave Kenshin called out, "Sano!" Sanosuke turned around. "Um... thanks. Thanks for listening to me". Sano just grinned.

"No problem, but you still owe me McDonald's" smirked Sano. Kenshin smirked back and watched his friend open the door. "Oh ya, one more thing Kenshin; Which is more important? Kaoru or your reputation? I'm sure that you'll know the answer once you get that egotistical head of your's out of the sand. After all, a woman like her is extremely rare".

Kenshin looked wide-eyed at the door as it shut and made a 'click' sound, Sanosuke's words embezzled in his mind.

* * *

"Come on, Kaoru!" squealed Misao.

"Were gonna have to find out sooner or later" smirked Megumi. Kaoru gazed back and forth between the two girls. She must not look nervous, she must not talk nervous, just stay calm.

"I don't like anyone!" cracked Kaoru. _Shit! _She watched as her two friends' faces lit up with excitement.

"Tanuki, you aren't great at lying at all!" sneered Megumi.

"Just tell us!" whined Misao.

'Great, now they're getting impatient and if I don't tell them soon they'll be pouncing on me and strangling me to death. _Think Kaoru! Think!_' Kaoru scanned her thoughts to think of something to say.

"I...um..." she stammered. Misao and Megumi leaned in to hear what she was about to say. "Oh... uh...um...LOOK! IT'S CHAD MICHAEL MURRAY!!" she yelled. Megumi and Misao's eyes lit up as they turned around screaming, "WHERE? WHERE?!".

Kaoru took that moment to run as fast as she could to run away. Once Megumi and Misao turned around she was a good block away from them running.

"GET HER!" yelled Misao as they both started chasing Kaoru.

Kaoru quickly cut through the park and without thinking, she ran into the dark forest behind the park. She sprinted as fast as she could to get away from her two obsessive friends. After a couple minutes of running she slowed herself to a stop to catch her breath. Once she began breathing normally again she took in her surroundings. She remembered this forest, it was the one that Shinta ran into that stormy night a couple months ago. Looking at the creepy, disfigured trees around her, goosebumps began forming all over her body. She glanced at her watch and checked the time.

'5:30 p.m! It can't be!' thought Kaoru. Time seemed to have passed by so quickly. She looked up at the sky and saw that the sky blue color was now a lighter shade of navy blue. She looked around some more and realized that she forgot which way she came from.

'No... this can't be! I've heard stories where young girls like me were murdered in a forest by some serial killer and their bodies weren't found until months after. I don't want that to happen to me!' she thought as panic began pumping through her body.

It was getting darker by the minute and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck begin to rise. The sky was now a dark blue that created shadows all around Kaoru.

She shivered in fear as she thought about the serial killer cliche again. The wind howled through the trees making Kaoru back up in fear. She heard a twig snap, which echoed throughout the forest, and screamed out as she bolted in a hysterical, panicky dash. She ran and ran as fast as her legs could go, blinded by fear. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw a cement pathway up ahead. Pumping more adrenalin through her veins she sprinted towards the road. As she ran out of the trees she crashed into a person, knocking both of them to the ground. Kaoru let out a yelp as the person grabbed her hands. She began kicking the stranger with all the strength she had until the stranger finally let her hands go. She turned around and was about to run, but the stranger's arms wrapped themselves around her waist. She began flailing around when the stranger spoke.

"Kaoru! Kaoru! Calm down! It's only me!"

Kaoru froze. _That voice!_ She slowly turned around and faced the stranger. She felt tears of happiness come rushing in her eyes as she stared at the person's face.

"Kenshin? Kenshin, is that really you?" she choked as her hands touched his face as though she didn't believe he was real. Kenshin felt a shock run through his body as her cold, soft hand touched his scared cheek. He took one of his hands from her waist and took the hand that brushed his cheek. He brought her hand up to his face and gently kissed her knuckles.

His warm golden orbs looked deep at her midnight ones, staring at the tears welling up in her eyes. His insides hurt to see her like this.

"Kenshin" she said again, this time with more panic in her voice. Her eyes filled up even more with tears when he didn't reply earlier. Kenshin finally snapped back to reality.

"Yes. It's me, Kaoru" he replied. He saw as her face filled with anguish as she burst into tears and bounded into his body. His cheeks reddened for a moment at her action.

"Kenshin...Kenshin... Kenshin" she murmured against his neck, as though she was telling herself that it was him. Her arms snaked their way around his torso while her hands fisted his jacket. Kenshin could feel her hot breath against his sensitive skin as her lips delicately brushed his neck, causing him to feel suddenly very hot. After a few seconds Kenshin wrapped his arms around her; one around her waist, the other on the back of her head. After a couple minutes Kaoru's breathing was normal again.

"I...was scared" she mumbled.

"Don't be. As long as I'm here I'll make sure that no one harms you. I'll protect you" he said. He felt Kaoru's lips curve into a smile against his skin.

"Thank you" she said.

"You can come over to my house for now. It's getting late and I think your parents are worried so you'd better call them" he exclaimed. Kaoru just nodded. "Let's go" he continued. Kaoru broke away from the embrace and held onto his arm tightly as they walked down the pathway towards his house.

* * *

Kaoru forgot how huge Kenshin's home was. The last time she was here was a couple months back when she first met Kenshin. But either way, she still looked around in awe when they entered the big mansion. She just finished calling her parents and telling them that she was OK. Kenshin's mother, Sakura, insisted to her parents that Kaoru should stay over night, which they humbly agreed. Kaoru ate dinner over in the mass dining room along with Kenshin and Sakura. After she was done, she got dressed up in the silk night gown provided for her and went to bed. Kenshin went to his room and went to bed as well after a long day.

Kaoru tossed and turned in her bed. The eeriness of the forest was still frightening to her, not to mention the shadows all around the room, which definitely did not help her out one bit. She huddled up into a shy ball; tucking her knees to her chest as she leaned against the headboard. She glanced all around the room, she tucked her body closer to herself and shut her eyes tightly.

_Kenshin... please protect me._

* * *

Kenshin lay in his bed staring up at the ceiling thinking about a certain raven-haired girl. He closed his eyes and focused on her ki. It felt scared and jumpy. Opening his eyes he debated on whether to check on her or not.

'She feels scared'

_No! You vowed never to fall in love again, remember?_

'But she needs me'

_But do you need her? Is she really worth breaking your heart over?_

_You cannot trust her. She will lure into her trap with innocent smiles and once you give her what she wants she'll snarl and tear you apart._

'Kaoru is not like that! Besides, we're only friends'

_Think what you want, but sooner or later she'll hurt you._

'NO SHE WON'T!'

_You're right..._

'Of course I am. I know that Kaoru would never-'

_You'll be the one hurting her._

Kenshin's thoughts ended with the cackling voice echoing in his head. He sat up in frustration and glared at no particular object. He hated how things from his past always interfered with things in his present. He took a few deep breaths to calm down. After a couple moments of silence Kenshin sat up and walked to the door. No, he wouldn't let his past haunt him anymore. Not while Kaoru is in his life.

* * *

Kaoru's grip tightened on the sheets that she held close. The soft sound of the opening caught her attention. She didn't even hear any footsteps! She licked her lips to prepare to scream if it was an intruder. As the door widened she saw a mop of red hair. Kenshin...

Kaoru broke into a smile, stumbled off her bed and ran to the boy. Due to Kaoru's excitement she tripped on her own feet. Kaoru let out a yelp before closing her eyes to await the cold ground. But luckily for Kenshin's fast reflexes he caught her in the nick of time.

"Excited to see me?" said Kenshin with a cocky grin on his face. The grin turned into confusion and surprise when he felt Kaoru grasping onto him. He felt his heart speed up and his cheeks feel hot when he felt her body pressing against his.

"Kenshin..." Kaoru murmured into his chest.

"Y-yes?" he replied shakily.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" she asked. Kenshin felt his face burn.

"Uh...I..."

"Please...I'm scared" she whispered. After hearing no response for a couple minutes, Kaoru looked up to see Kenshin staring straight at her. Her eyes glazed into curiosity as she cocked her head to the side. Before she knew it, Kenshin swept her into his arms and carried her down the hall to his room.

Once they entered his room he set her onto the bed and proceeded to tuck her into the sheets. Kaoru watched him with wide eyes as he securely covered her body with the sheets like she was a child.

"There" he said in a calm voice as he finished tucking the last of the bed sheets over her. "Good night Kaoru" he continued as he turned around to sleep against the wall.

"Wait!" said Kaoru as she grabbed his wrist, maybe a little too hard, causing him to lose his balance and fall on her.

Violet locked with blue as they stared at each other. Kenshin felt her body crushed underneath his own and tried to quickly scramble off her. The feel of Kaoru's hand on his cheek stopped him from his movement. His eyes slowly traced upwards until they were on her eyes. Her eyes were glazed over like she was lost in a dream. Her hand gently pulled his face towards her, which Kenshin couldn't help but allow her to draw him in. Once their faces were a mere inch away from each other Kenshin felt his body become weak. Bringing a hand up to her head, Kenshin ran his fingers into her soft, silky hair.

Kaoru gazed up at him with glazed, shiny eyes. This was the first time that she had ever done anything with a guy. Not once had her innocent, plush lips pressed themselves against another. This moment was just so right though...

Kaoru slowly lifted her head until she could feel his hot breath brush her lips. Kaoru glanced at his lips, up to his eyes, back at his lips, and finally resting up at his eyes. She wanted him to make the first move.

They both gazed at each other for a moment before Kenshin pressed his lips against hers. She tasted sweet and fresh like a strawberry freshly picked from a brush. Her lips were so soft as he gently deepened the kiss. Her mouth parted to let his tongue wander her mouth.

Kaoru felt her body grow warm at the sensational feeling that was sent through Kenshin's lips. She massaged her tongue against his as his tongue entered her mouth. She felt her head being pressed into the pillow as their kiss deepened even more. Soon enough Kaoru felt her arms rubbing his back, his face, running through his hair... she never felt this good in a very long time.

Kenshin gripped her hair in his hand, not hard enough to hurt her though, and began to let his hands cup her face.

They broke apart to let their lungs breathe in precious oxygen after a couple minutes. As Kaoru caught her breath Kenshin began trailing wet kissing along her face.

"Kenshin..." Kaoru softly moaned. Kenshin rested his forehead against hers and stared at her face as he began to breathe steadily. Kaoru slowly opened her eyes and stared up at Kenshin's swirling violet eyes.

"Good night, Kenshin" whispered Kaoru as she smiled up at him. Kenshin returned the smile and gave a slow peck on her lips.

"Good night, Kaoru" he replied. He rolled to Kaoru's side as she huddled next to his body. He watched as she slowly nestled her head into his chest and go to sleep. Kenshin gave her one last kiss on the forehead before going to sleep himself.

And I'd give up forever to touch you  
'Cause I know that you feel me somehow  
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be  
And I don't want to go home right now

And all I can taste is this moment  
And all I can breathe is your life  
'Cause sooner or later it's over  
I just don't want to miss you tonight

And I don't want the world to see me  
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
When everything's made to be broken  
I just want you to know who I am

And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming  
Or the moment of truth in your lies  
When everything feels like the movies  
Yeah you bleed just to know you're alive

And I don't want the world to see me  
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
When everything's made to be broken  
I just want you to know who I am

And I don't want the world to see me  
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
When everything's made to be broken  
I just want you to know who I am

And I don't want the world to see me  
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
When everything's made to be broken  
I just want you to know who I am

I just want you to know who I am  
I just want you to know who I am  
I just want you to know who I am

Song: Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls

* * *

I hope you peeps liked that chapter. Cuz I am really not in the mood to upload another chapter for you guys. I hate to sound like a cow right now, but I am in one of those moods where I'm mad at the world. I'm mad because lately when I update, people seem to just drop in, read and leave, not even bothering to show their respect to me by reviewing.

Starting as of now, I ain't gonna update until some of those disrespecting bums out there actually give me the god damn respect I deserve! I'm sorry to those who actually respect me and review, but it just really frustrates me when people don't review!

Thank you to the following who reviewed chapter 11: lorgin, LeaD, Lily, VanyD, Bradybunch4529, and gina.

I'm sorry that those above have to suffer because of another's actions.

Ttyl, bibi

Dev

P.S YOU PEOPLE BETTER REVIEW OR NO CHAPTER 13 FOR A LONG WHILE, GUARANTEED!


	13. Warning Sign

Underneath It All

Chapter 12: Warning Sign

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin

Recap of the last chapter:

"Kenshin..." Kaoru softly moaned. Kenshin rested his forehead against hers and stared at her face as he began to breathe steadily. Kaoru slowly opened her eyes and stared up at Kenshin's swirling violet eyes.

"Good night, Kenshin" whispered Kaoru as she smiled up at him. Kenshin returned the smile and gave a slow peck on her lips.

"Good night, Kaoru" he replied. He rolled to Kaoru's side as she huddled next to his body. He watched as she slowly nestled her head into his chest and go to sleep. Kenshin gave her one last kiss on the forehead before going to sleep himself.

* * *

A few days passed by since the day Kaoru spent the night at Kenshin's mansion. After that night Kenshin felt a surge of strange emotions throughout his body. He couldn't deny his feelings for a certain raven-haired, blue-eyed classmate. Yet that same nagging voice in the back of his head pounded on him whenever and wherever he went.

He knew that sooner or later that he would have to tell the truth to Kaoru. _Truth_. That meant telling her about Tomoe and his past relationship. The only thing that he would not tell her about is that he was also worried about his reputation. No, he would not tell her that...

* * *

"OK you little brats. After a few months of marking your stupid projects, I'm finally finished" retorted an agitated Professor Shishio. Everyone in the room looked at each other in confusion. They all finally looked at Soujiro who let out a deep sigh.

"Professor Shishio, what project are you talking about?" asked Soujiro.

"Don't you dumbasses remember? The animal project I assigned around the beginning of the year" hissed Shishio. After a moment everyone remembered it clearly. It was the project that was to be completed in 2 weeks and if they didn't hand it in on time than they'd have to rewrap the Professor's bandages and clip his toenails for the rest of the year.

Kaoru let out a soft giggle when she remembered what happened to Megumi. Since Megumi was partnered up with Sano, she wound up doing the whole project on her own because she claimed that: "That stupid rooster-head is bound to screw up the project and give me a failing mark". Anyways, once Megumi finished it on the last day before it was to be handed in, Sano came over to check on it. When Megumi went to go fetch some snacks, he decided that this "large sheet of random paper" was the next best thing to tissue, to blow his nose in. Megumi severely beat him to a pulp when she saw what used to be a project on a fox all covered in snot. The next day, the Professor didn't give mercy on them so then they were punished.

Luckily, Megumi only had to rewrap the bandages, while anonymously assigning Sano to clip Professor Shishio's toenails.

Kaoru gave a quick glance at Megumi who seemed to be glaring at Sano. Her smile grew wider at the funny sight.

A smacking sound brought Kaoru back to life as she noticed the lion project on her desk. Feeling the presence of someone next to her, Kaoru turned her head and noticed that Kenshin had scotched up next to her.

"What did we get?" he asked in his usual laid-back voice. A soft blush crept on Kaoru's face as she noticed how close he was to her.

"Uh...w-we got....um..." stuttered Kaoru as she frantically searched the project for any sign of a mark. Her hands began to tremble as she thought of how stupid she might look that instant.

"Are you ok, Kaoru?" asked Kenshin with concern in his voice. He looked at Kaoru as she continued to fumble with the project. "Kaoru?"

Kaoru finally snapped out of her panic frenzy and looked at him with a startled expression. A deep blush spread onto her cheeks and she turned and bowed her head down. Taking one last glance at the project she noticed a mark in big red felt-pen at the top right-hand corner.

'Great, here I was looking for that stupid mark and looking like a total idiot when the mark was right in front of my face' Kaoru mentally scolded herself.

"We got 86 percent" mumbled Kaoru with her head still bowed down.

Kenshin gave Kaoru a long look before moving back to his seat and turning his attention to the front of the room. Professor Shishio had finished handing back the projects and resumed his seat at the front of the room.

"Alright kids, we recently got a new student. Now you all better be nice and treat her with respect, got it?" said the Professor. Everyone in the room nodded their heads. "Alright, you may come in now" Shishio called to the door.

Everyone eyed the door as the knob turned and a girl walked in. Kenshin immediately froze. Time seemed to slow down as the girl took a couple elegant steps towards the front of the room. Her long black hair swayed from side to side with each step as her catlike brown eyes surveyed the room to rest on Kenshin. A conceited smirk began to form on her lips as her eyes gazed through her past victim. Kenshin looked away, not wanting to remember that evil face again.

Kaoru turned her head, noticing Kenshin's discomfort. What was wrong with him? Was it the girl standing at the front of the room? Kaoru turned her head again and looked at the girl. Her breath nearly got caught in her throat as she saw that the girl was gazing straight at her. Their eyes locked for what seemed like an eternity. Emotionless brown eyes stared through innocent blue until Professor Shishio started talking to the brown-eyed girl.

"You can introduce yourself by writing your name on the board and giving a **brief** introduction about yourself" said Professor Shishio without even looking at the girl.

With the elegance of a swan the girl picked up the chalk without even the slight bit of jitteriness in her fingers and wrote her name on the board.

**Tomoe Yukishiro **the board read.

'Tomoe' Kaoru repeated in her head. 'What a pretty name. She looks friendly. Maybe I should get to know her'. Kaoru casually turned her head towards Kenshin and noticed that he still was staring down at his desk. Averting her eyes from him she looked over at Sano.

Sano for some reason was glaring at Tomoe with such hate that not even Satin himself would even dare compare. This confused Kaoru. Normally Sano would have been drooling all over his desk if there was a new pretty girl in the class.

Kaoru shrugged and looked past Sano at Aoshi and Soujiro. Aoshi still had his usual ice-god look, but even something about him seemed off. He seemed to stare real intensely at Tomoe as though he could freeze her if he concentrated hardenough.

Soujiro's trademark smile had faltered a little as well. It was like one of those nervous smiles that you get when you have no idea what just happened.

Kaoru allowed her eyes to scan the room to see if anyone else was acting peculiar. Noticing that everything else seemed as normal as the sun rising and setting, she glanced back at the front of the room.

Professor Shishio had stood up and held in his hand a sheet of paper.

"Ok peeps! Since it's the start of the new semester, I've got a new seating plan. Some of you brats have been driving me nuts with your damn blabbering" said the Professor, glaring particularly at Kaoru, Megumi, and Misao. The room echoed with snickering as Kaoru bowed her head and blushed. Megumi rolled her eyes and continued playing with her hair, while Misao glared at all the snickering people which shut them up.

"Anyways, you're gonna be set up in doubles for the rest of the year. Partners go as follows: Kenny with Carl, Josie with Carol, Chihiro with Tasuki, Momiji with Sen, Kenshin and Soujiro, Aoshi and Misao, Megumi and Sano..."

Kenshin let out a breath when heard that he wouldn't be sitting next to Tomoe.

"Oh, Tomoe, you can sit with Kaoru" continued the Professor. Kenshin's breath caught.

**'WHAT!?**' screamed Kenshin in his head.

"So that's the seating plan. Now, MOVE!!" yelled the Professor. As everyone stood up and moved to their new found seats Kenshin watched in disbelief as Tomoe walked up to the seat next to Kaoru.

"Hello, my name is Tomoe" said Tomoe in a smooth-sweet voice that made him want to gag.

"My name is Kaoru. Kamiya Kaoru" said Kaoru as she held out her hand.

Kenshin went immediately from shock to bitter anger. He glared at Tomoe as she took Kaoru's hand and shook it casually as though she was the sweetest thing. But she wasn't. He knew she wasn't.

He continued to watch as Tomoe took her seat and instantaneously started a conversation with Kaoru. He glared at Tomoe for another moment before Soujiro's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"What is she doing here?" asked Soujiro as glared along with Kenshin at Tomoe. Kenshin turned to look momentarily at Soujiro before turning back to Kaoru and Tomoe.

"I don't know" said Kenshin as he watched Kaoru talk with Tomoe with a look of intrigue and a smile on her face. A second later they both erupted in a fit of girlish laughter. Kenshin narrowed his eyes.

"But I know she's up to something"

* * *

The last bell rung, signaling that school was over. Kenshin lazily walked down the stairs as everyone bustled and rushed around him. He plugged in his headphones and allowed the music to boom in his ears. Looking up he noticed a familiar raven-haired girl at the bottom of the steps. A smile graced his face as he adjusted his pace down the stairs. Halfway through, he abruptly stopped when he saw that Kaoru was joined with Misao and Megumi. And a fourth person...

_That wench_

Kenshin grit his teeth together as he watched Tomoe put her arm around Kaoru as though she had been friends with Kaoru since birth. His disgust grew as the little group exploded in fits of laughter from something Tomoe had said.

Not being able to stand the sight a moment longer, Kenshin shoved his way through the stairs, not caring who he trampled over on his way down.

He quickly passed by the little group making sure that they would not notice him. Without looking back he headed towards the limo that awaited him.

Little did he know that a pair of brown eyes that belonged to a certain someone had noticed him and was now watching his every move.

* * *

Kenshin stormed up to his room in a fluster of rage. Once he entered he slammed the door so hard that the painting on the other end of his (huge) room fell off the wall. He threw his backpack against the wall causing all of his homework and binders to explode out.

Kenshin now stood in the middle of the room, breathing heavily in order to calm his raging nerves. Paper was flying everywhere, now slowly drifting to the ground. Once Kenshin had steadied his breath he looked up at the full length mirror across him.

His reflection looked like that of a demon from hell. His fiery red hair which was tied up in a high pony-tail appeared fuller and stuck out like jagged sharp rocks. His eyes burned with amber that could set the whole world on fire. His muscles were all tense making his veins pop out. His knuckles were turning white from clenching his fists.

He stared at his reflection for a moment before closing his eyes.

_Breathe..._

_Calm..._

_Breathe and calm..._

_Breathe and calm down..._

_Calm down..._

_Breathe..._

_Calm...down..._

_...down..._

_Steady...steady..._

_...open your eyes..._

Kenshin took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes. Gazing at the mirror, he looked normal again. His muscles were much more relaxed and his hair no longer stuck up. The biggest difference was his eyes. They were still recovering from his outburst since little gold flecks were still swirling in his normal violet orbs. But at least it was better know.

His eyes drifted down to his knuckles which were still tightly clenched. Very slowly they relaxed and unclenched. Kenshin began flexing his fingers, building up the circulation.

Tentatively he made his way to his bed and flopped down on it. Time passed by ever so slowly as he stared blankly up at the roof. He finally took a deep breath and reached for the phone.

It was time. He was going to tell Kaoru everything. After thinking about it for a long time he decided that now was the best time.

His fingers led themselves to the numbers that made up Kaoru's home phone. Placing the phone to his ear, he waited for it to ring. A second later the phone rang an annoying beeping sound telling him that the line was busy. He let out a sigh and continued to stare up at the wall.

Ten minutes had passed and he tried again, but only to be rejected. Kenshin glared at the phone before setting it on the bed and walking out the room. Upon walking down the hall he saw the foreign maid dusting a desk.

'What was her name again? Oh right! Michelle' thought Kenshin as he continued on his way to the stairs.

"Michelle. Could you please clean up the mess in my room?" he asked as he headed down the stairs. Michelle nodded in response and made her way to his room.

He made his way to the kitchen for a quick snack. Grabbing a bag of All Dressed chips he sat down on a stool and ate in the deserted kitchen. Soon enough the quietness got on Kenshin's nerves as he got up and turned on the stereo. The smooth tune of a guitar filled the room as Kenshin sat back down.

_A warning sign..._

A flash of Tomoe appeared in his mind

_I missed the good part, then I realized..._

He remembered the first time he met her. She was irresistible.

_I started looking and the bubble burst..._

He remembered the moment he happened to read her diary that was open on her bed.

_I started looking for excuses._

He remembered the hurt he felt when he read those words. 'toy...use...play...easy...'

_Come on in..._

Kaoru...

_I've got to tell you what a state I'm in..._

'I must tell her everything'

_I've got to tell you in my loudest tones..._

'About my past'

_That I started looking for a warning sign..._

'About Tomoe'

_When the truth is,_

_I miss you._

_Yeah, the truth is,_

_That I miss you so._

'I don't want to hurt her'

_A warning sign..._

'But she needs to know'

_You came back to haunt me and I realized..._

'I'll take care of Tomoe after'

_That you were an island and I passed you by..._

'She may have had me wrapped around her finger, but not anymore'

_You were an island to discover..._

Kenshin walked over to the kitchen phone and began dialing the number.

_Come on in..._

_**Ring** _

_I've got to tell you what a state I'm in..._

_**Ring**_

_I've got to tell you in my loudest tones..._

_**Ring**_

_That I started looking for a warning sign..._

"Hello?" Kaoru answered.

"Hey" said Kenshin with a weak voice.

"Hey! How are you, Kenshin?" asked Kaoru with a cheery voice. Kenshin bit his lip. It was going to be hard to tell her everything.

"I need to talk to you" said Kenshin in a serious voice.

"Oh. Well OK. What's wrong?" replied Kaoru in a surprised voice. Kenshin let out a deep sigh.

"Kaoru, I haven't been honest with you lately. Well, actually for a very long time."

"I don't know where to start... there's so much I have to tell you. I want to tell you everything. My past, what I was, and how I felt about us in the start" Kenshin paused to check if Kaoru was still there.

"Continue" her voice breathed in a small voice.

"Before I met you I went to Saint Bartholomew Junior Prep School. I was one of the "cool and popular" kids there." Kenshin paused as a small giggle came from the other line.

"Figures you'd add that" giggled Kaoru. A small smile graced his lips, but soon disappeared as he continued.

"On my last year a new girl came. When I first saw her I thought that she was a complete loser; she had big framed glasses, braces, her hair was all gross and unhealthy, well you get the point" said Kenshin.

"When my teacher assigned her to sit next to me for the rest of the year, I swear that I wanted to die. We spent the first two weeks not talking to each other at all. On the beginning of the third week of school, she came to school like a whole different person. Every flaw was removed and I was speechless. Later on that day she began talking to me casually as though we were really close friends. By the end of the day we did pretty much become friends. Everyone in the school still thought that she was geek, but I didn't. I thought that changed completely. Everyday I brought her closer and closer to becoming popular. She told me that she had never been in the "cool" crowd and if she ever did than she'd be happy. Back then I felt that if she was happy then I was happy"

"..." Kaoru stayed silent. Kenshin closed his eyes. He knew that the next thing he was going to say was going to hurt her.

"She was my first love. It was the first time in my life that I ever felt that way for a girl. Throughout the year we got closer and closer. My love for her grew more and more each day until it consumed me. I stopped thinking straight when all I could think of was her. One day I dropped by her house to surprise her. Her mother told me that she had run out to get the groceries and told me to just wait in her room. As I waited I noticed her diary on her bed. It was opened to a particular page and I couldn't help but read" Kenshin stopped when he heard a choked sob.

"Kaoru?" he asked with concern in his voice. A ragged breath tried to calm itself.

"go on" whispered Kaoru as she tried to tame herself. Kenshin waited a moment before continuing.

"It basically said that she did not care for me. That I was just her toy and that she only used me to gain popularity. I left her house trying to deny it all. I wished that it wasn't her diary; I wished that it wasn't her writing...but it was. The evidence was right there in front of me. I had to face the truth. When I confronted her about it she broke into a wicked smile that still haunts me. Since then, I have tried to escape her gasp, but she just latches on." Kenshin stopped when he didn't hear a response.

"Kaoru? Kaoru are you there?" asked Kenshin. No response. "Kaoru?" a click was heard. She hung up. Kenshin slammed the phone on the counter and began to run out to the door.

Sakura was headed down the stairs when she saw her son running towards the door.

"Kenshin, what are you doing? I heard a heavy rainfall is coming. Can't you take a walk later?" Sakura's questioning was ignored by the rebellious teenager. "At least wear a coat!" The door slammed leaving a very confused Sakura on the stairs.

* * *

Kenshin ran as fast as he could to Kaoru's house. It was a good twenty-seven blocks from his house so he would probably be soaked by the rain. As he continued running he could feel the rain starting to beat down on his body. Within a minute and fifteen blocks from her house he was completely drenched from the rain which was pouring down like mad.

Although his lungs were burning and his legs were starting to ache, he would not stop. He could now see her house through the midst of rain.

Once he made it to the door he began ringing the doorbell. His heart was still beating as fast as lightning while he struggled to catch his breath.

"Kaoru! Kaoru open the door!" he began yelling. He looked around and noticed that her parent's cars weren't there. They were probably still at work.

'Good!' thought Kenshin. They would probably get in the way and stick their noses into Kaoru and his business. He really did not need that right now. Running onto the lawn he picked up a small rock and threw it at her window.

Kaoru sat on her bed and hugged her pillow. Her tear stained face was all puffy and sore from crying. She didn't even let him tell her what he thought about their relationship. She didn't want to hear everything just yet. It hurt too much to think about it.

He had a love before her. But it was unfair to think that. She didn't even know if he loved her so she had no right to assume that he did.

The sound of a rock hitting her window caught her attention. The rain was really loud on the roof, drowning out most of the sounds around her. She shrugged and continued to hug her pillow. Another knock on her window perked her attention once again. She tentatively got up and walked to her window. Upon opening her window a rock came flying and hit her on the forehead. Kaoru fell back holding her forehead.

"What the hell?" Kaoru said in an angry voice. She sat up and looked back out the window to see who was out there, but before she could another rock came shooting in to hit her in the nose.

Kaoru let out a frustrated growl as she stormed out of her room and into her parent's room to grab her father's prized baseball bat. Continuing her mission to beat the mysterious rock thrower into a pulp, she headed out the door in her baby blue short-shorts and white t-shirt.

Kaoru instantly froze when she saw Kenshin on her lawn. Kenshin stared back at her with this longing-puppy-dog look on his face.

_And the truth is..._

"Kaoru..." Kenshin started. Kaoru's eyes widened as she came back to reality. Reality; Kenshin was there soaking wet in front of her when a few minutes ago he told her about his first love. Her body felt numb as she remembered. The bat that was held firmly in her right hand slowly began to slide out of her grasp until it clashed onto the ground.

_I miss you..._

Kaoru felt her clothes begin to stick onto her along with her hair which was resting on her shoulders. She blinked her eyes a couple times to make sure that he was really there. Her eyes wandered over his appearance to finally rest on his eyes. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw the blend of emotions swirling in those amber-violet mixed orbs.

_Yeah, the truth is..._

"Kaoru" Kenshin repeated again. Kaoru just stared at him. "I-I-I I'm sorry" he stammered. He could feel a rush of tears stinging at his eyes, dying to come out.

_I miss you so..._

"It's just that...I-I wanted-had to tell you. I couldn't keep it in any longer. I was afraid of hurting you. I never wanted to hurt you..." he faded off. Kaoru watched as glistening tears began to pour out of his eyes.

_And I'm tired..._

"I want to tell you everything, but I just can't find a way to not hurt you. You don't deserve to be hurt. You don't! And I hate myself for hurting you. You don't know how much I hate myself right now." Kenshin choked out every word he felt at the moment. His knees began to buckle as he sunk to the ground.

_I should not have let you go..._

"I don't deserve your forgiveness. If you hate me now, I understand. Oh, Kaoru! I don't know what to do! I don't know what to do..."

_So I crawl back into your open arms..._

Kaoru watched as he began to choke from crying. She had never seen anyone so hurt...so damaged...so broken. As her feet began to lead her towards Kenshin's huddled body she could feel herself become more forgiving. She stopped once she was directly in front of him. The rain continued to beat down on the both of them.

_Yes I crawl back into your open arms..._

"Kenshin?" Kaoru said. The sobbing form slowly looked up at her. Kaoru felt her heart sink when she saw the look on his face. He looked so lost and alone. Kaoru kneeled down and cupped his face. "Don't hate yourself for hurting me. I don't hate you. Please don't punish yourself for being honest with me. Besides, it was all in the past so it doesn't matter now. I don't care who you were back then-"

"But-" interrupted Kenshin. Kaoru put a finger on his mouth.

"And I don't who you were when you first met me. I only care about who you are now, with me" finished Kaoru. They both stared at each other, their eyes locked so tightly that no key could crack

_And I crawl back into you open arms..._

"Kaoru, I-" started Kenshin.

"I know that you were embarrassed about being seen around me before, but I don't care. Just as long as you're not embarrassed anymore" said Kaoru. Kenshin stared at her with a curious expression. Kenshin shook his head.

"No, not anymore. Not ever" said Kenshin. A smile graced Kaoru's lips.

"Good"

_Yes I crawl back into your open arms._

Kenshin enveloped Kaoru in a warm embrace. Although the rain was cold and they were both soaking wet, neither wanted to part. Kenshin tilted Kaoru's chin up and placed his lips upon hers. Kaoru wrapped her arms around his head to deepen the kiss as Kenshin wrapped one arm around her waist and the other in her hair. They finally parted their lips after a long moment.

"We should probably go inside before we both catch a cold" said Kaoru as she rested her forehead on Kenshin's. Kenshin nodded in response.

As they closed the door Kenshin's eyes wandered around the house. It was pretty big, not as big as his, but still, big.

"We should get you something dry to wear" said Kaoru as Kenshin turned to her. A mischievous smirk formed on Kenshin's face as he looked her up and down.

"You too" grinned Kenshin. Kaoru looked down at herself before turning a deep crimson. She had totally forgotten that she was wearing a white shirt and worse, no bra. The cold air didn't do much help either. She quickly covered her chest with her goose bumped arms. Kenshin's grin grew at seeing her reaction.

"I'll be back" said Kaoru before turning and running up the stairs. Kenshin waiting patiently until she returned wearing a dry pair of grey sweat pants and a light blue tank top. She was also carrying a black t-shirt and grey boxers.

"Here, you can change in the washroom. Down the hall, second door to your right" said Kaoru as she handed him the clothes.

"Thanks" said Kenshin as he removed his shoes and made his way to the washroom. Kaoru stood there and waited until Kenshin emerged from the washroom carrying his wet clothes. Kaoru took his clothes and tossed them in the laundry chute.

"I'll return them to you once I've finished washing them" said Kaoru. Kenshin nodded his head. The sound of a car pulling up in the driveway caught the attention of both teenagers.

"My parents! They don't let me having boys in the house. Quick! Go upstairs!" gasped Kaoru as she grabbed Kenshin's hand and ran up the stairs and into her room.

"Kaoru? Kaoru, honey?" called her mom. Kaoru looked around her room to find someplace to hide Kenshin. The sound of her parents' footsteps coming up the stairs made her even jitterier. Thinking quick she flipped the covers of her bed, pushed Kenshin on, hopped on him, and pulled the covers over the two of them. One millisecond later her parents entered the room.

"Kaoru? Oh, she's asleep" said her mom.

"It's only 8:30. She must have had a tiring day" noted her dad.

"We'll lock her door for her. You know how she's paranoid about it being unlocked" said Kaoru's mom as she turned the latch and both parents exited the room, closing the door softly behind them. Once the door clicked shut Kaoru lifted the covers off the two of them and sat up.

"Whew! That was...close" Kaoru trailed off when she noticed that she was directly straddling Kenshin. She blushed red as she began to get off him. Kenshin grabbed her shoulders to stop her. Kaoru gave him a curious look, when she then felt herself being flipped so that he was on top of her. Kenshin planted a deep kiss on her lips before she could react. Kaoru's eyes slid shut as she gave into the kiss. As Kenshin parted his lips from hers, he mumbled a soft "good night" in her ear, making her shudder. She felt him roll off her as she opened her eyes.

Kaoru turned her body to face him. Their eyes locked. Kenshin began to fiddle with her hair as she snuggled close to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

The last thing Kaoru heard was not the beating of the rain, but the steady beat of Kenshin's heart.

Disclaimer: That song earlier in italics was "Warning Sign" by Coldplay. I do not own Coldplay.

Well, I really hope you people liked this chapter. I know I enjoyed writing it. The inspiration for this story is slowly coming back! I wrote more that I planned today!

So anyways, I sincerely apologize for my lack of update. A near four-month update is not acceptable. Again, I apologize. Christmas break is a lifesaver! I can't really give you guys a guarantee for the next update. All I can say is that I'll update as soon as I get more inspiration and more time.

I'm planning on updating my other fanfic (Waves of Love) pretty soon too. Just think of it as a Christmas present from me to my reviewers.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Well, the only thing that I don't like about Christmas is that gain weight like mad.

Anyways, **DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!!!!! BOOST ME UP TO AT LEAST 183!! MERRY X-MAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!**

Ttyl, bibi

Dev


	14. Sunday Morning

Underneath It All

Chapter 13: Sunday Morning

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin

Recap of the last chapter:

"Whew! That was...close" Kaoru trailed off when she noticed that she was directly straddling Kenshin. She blushed red as she began to get off him. Kenshin grabbed her shoulders to stop her. Kaoru gave him a curious look, when she then felt herself being flipped so that he was on top of her. Kenshin planted a deep kiss on her lips before she could react. Kaoru's eyes slid shut as she gave into the kiss. As Kenshin parted his lips from hers, he mumbled a soft "good night" in her ear, making her shudder. She felt him roll off her as she opened her eyes.

Kaoru turned her body to face him. Their eyes locked. Kenshin began to fiddle with her hair as she snuggled close to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

The last thing Kaoru heard was not the beating of the rain, but the steady beat of Kenshin's heart.

* * *

_"Sunday morning rain is falling  
Steal some covers share some skin  
Clouds are shrouding us in moments unforgettable  
You twist to fit the mold that I am in"  
"But things just get so crazy living life gets hard to do  
And I would gladly hit the road get up and go if I knew  
That someday it would lead me back to you  
That someday it would lead me back to you"  
"That may be you're all I need  
In darkness she is all I see,  
Come and rest your bones with me,  
Driving slow on Sunday morning;  
And I never want to leave"_

"Sunday Morning" by Maroon 5

Kaoru opened her clear, sapphire eyes. She glanced around the room, allowing her eyes to adjust to the bright rays of sunshine that flood through her room. Her eyes eventually wandered to the sleeping redhead next to her.

Turning to lie on her stomach, Kaoru crossed her arms in front of her and nestled her chin onto them. She was half splayed onto Kenshin's warm body; her legs slightly tangled with his and her torso pressed against his side.

Her eyes scanned over his slumber filled face. He looked so much like a child; eyes shut and lips in an innocence pout. She suddenly felt the urge to kiss those lips, but willed against it. She did not want to ruin the calm moment.

Her sapphire orbs slowly drifted towards the clear vertical scar on his left cheek. Most people would cringe at the sight of the ghastly mark, yet… Kaoru did not. She loved that scar. As ironic as it sounded, she could not help but feel a sense of security whenever she looked at it. She remembered the night that it was carved into Kenshin's cheek; she would always remember that night. She was so frightened; lost in the middle of a gloomy forest while caught in a thunderstorm, looking for her dog that had ran off chasing a rat the size of a raccoon. Then she ran into Kenshin while he was in the middle of killing that disgusting creature. Even though she couldn't see his face properly, she knew that she could trust him as she followed him to his house with Shinta.

Kaoru let out a little giggle when she remembered her and Kenshin's reactions when the lights started working again. They were both yelling at each other, while Sakura sat in the middle with a confused expression. _Ahh__… the olden days…_How wonderful they were.

She hated him back then. Funny how it turned out though now.

They were close, yet… she wasn't sure if they were really an item. She did not want to ask Kenshin; she wanted him to tell her. He told her last night of how he felt about his reputation. At first she could feel rage boil inside of her, but then, looking at his sad, lonely figure all wet from the rain, she told herself that he was being honest with her. And honestly was an important aspect to her. For that, she forgave him.

He told her that he was no longer embarrassed of her and that he would no longer be. Perhaps she would test him to see if he was true to his word, but then again, if she truly trusted him than she would not have to worry. Did she really trust him?

Kaoru's eyes zoned back to the sleeping amber-violet eyed man before her. She felt the rise and fall of his chest under her torso and listened to the inhale and exhale of his breathing. She looked back at the scar on his cheek; the scar that symbolized the protection and security she felt from him.

Yes… she trusted him.

Her thoughts were soon distracted as the drowsy eyelids of Kenshin slid open. His eyes appeared dull for a moment, before finally clearing up into a golden hue with little purple flecks. Once his vision was normal, his unique orbs slipped down to stare into a set of azure eyes.

A lazy smile made its way onto his pale lips.

"Morning," he yawned, his eyes never leaving hers. Kaoru's blank stare went unnoticed as Kenshin brought his face forward and laid a soft kiss onto her lips. Kaoru remained still as he pulled back to look at her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked; bringing up a hand to stroke gentle circles on her cheek. She continued to stare at him; her eyes flipping back and forth between his own orbs, trying to scan out any hidden emotion or secret.

"Do you care about me?" was the only question that came out of her lips.

"Why do you need to ask?" replied Kenshin a second later, his eyebrows furrowing in curiosity.

"Do. You. Care… about me?" she asked again, her blank observant expression still placid on her face.

"Would I be here if I didn't?" spoke Kenshin in a decisive, sheer voice.

Kaoru stared at him for another moment before leaning forward and pressing her face into his neck. Kenshin looked down at her, wondering what possessed her to ask a question that he thought he had already made obvious.

"Tell me," she mumbled into the sensitive skin on his neck.

He knew what this was about now. She was still insecure that he thought his reputation was more important than her. _Dear Kaoru…_

"You mean a lot to me Kaoru, more than you think, so don't you ever dare think that I don't care about you because I do," he spoke as he wrapped his arms around her.

She remained motionless in his arms, as if she was not fully satisfied with his answer. Kenshin could then start to feel warm moisture against his neck.

"I want to be with you."

As if saying the magic words, Kenshin held her tighter as more chokes and sobs were heard.

He forced himself to sit up, bringing Kaoru with him. He slowly rocked her in his lap while she wept into the crook of his neck.

After a few long minutes, Kaoru's crying died down and Kenshin gradually loosened his hold on her so that she could look up at him. He looked into her puffy face and began kissing away her left over tears. She closed her eyes and a soft smile formed on her lips.

"Are you alright?" asked Kenshin. Kaoru kept her eyes closed and just nodded her head.

The sound of a car leaving the driveway was heard from outside the window, along with the mild sound of splashing from puddles from last night's rain.

"What would you like me to cook for breakfast?" asked Kaoru; reopening her eyes with a genuine smile.

Kenshin smiled back.

"I think I'll do the cooking."

* * *

Well, there's chapter 13. All gushy, lovey-dovey, and sappy. Ugh! I'm disgusted with myself. I may not seem like it, but I'm a romantic at heart. All that emotional love crap just found its way to my finger tips while I blanked out. I seriously typed this chapter out of a state of semi-consciousness.

A lot of this stuff seems really cheesy now that I look at it. It makes me want to puke. Oh well, at least I formed up a chapter. I didn't want to keep you guys waiting any longer, so I decided to get off my lazy buttocks and type you guys a chapter.

I know this chapter is super short, but it's got some good meaning to it. That's basically what I was going for. I incorporated some symbolism and a little foreshadowing, although I'm not sure if I got my foreshadowing quite clear.

I'm sorry for the long wait, but ever since the start of the new semester, I've been so busy with homework. Luckily for me, my teachers decided to be really generous and give me no homework during the weekend.

I hope you guys enjoyed this, because if you don't than I will feel like crap and I'll wither away into a corner of writer's block. Do you guys want that? If you don't than take a hint and press that little button on the bottom left-hand corner please.

**DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!**


	15. Cars

Underneath It All

Chapter 14: Cars

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin

Recap of the last chapter:

"What would you like me to cook for breakfast?" asked Kaoru; reopening her eyes with a genuine smile.

Kenshin smiled back.

"I think I'll do the cooking."

---

Monday morning came slow and wary. While the young couple walked down the hallways of the educational institution, curious stares and mild whispers were heard like a chain reaction. Was it a dream? Was Kenshin Himura _really_ doing what they thought he was doing? Was he actually holding the hand of Kaoru Kamiya; the girl who argued and clashed with him every single day? It was definitely a dream; a very twisted and sick dream… right?

As they entered their science classroom, those seated in their desks automatically raised their heads to see who dare attended Professor Shishio's domain of torture. Immediately every set of eyes was glued to the pair as though Kaoru and Kenshin were some new form of absurd species.

The couple paid them no mind as the continued their way to their respectable seats. Kaoru sat down in a seat a few rows in front of Kenshin, while he continued his way to his seat next to Soujiro. They were still in the same seating arrangement that the Professor had assigned when the second semester started.

"Hey, what's up with you and Kaoru? Are you two going out?" asked Soujiro quietly with his usual smile on his baby face as Kenshin sat down.

He waited patiently for an answer while he watched Kenshin close his eyes momentarily before opening them in the direction of the person who asked the question.

"Yes," said Kenshin in a tone that held a hidden tint of happiness.

"I see," said Soujiro as he gradually averted his attention to Kaoru who was chatting away with Misao who was in a seating-pair perpendicular to Kaoru's seating-pair. Aoshi was sitting perfectly still, facing the front of the room. He was a great contrast to his partner; the bubbly Misao. The sight just made Soujiro's smile grow wider. Focusing his gaze just on Kaoru, he continued to speak, "you can definitely trust her."

"Hm?" Kenshin flashed his attention to his friend.

"She's a loyal one with honor. Just looking at the way she treats her friend shows how she trusts those who trust her," explained Soujiro. Kenshin stared at Soujiro in surprise for a second before looking in the same direction as Soujiro. The two boys just watched the raven-haired girl as she giggled along with her friend.

_Kaoru Kamiya, thank you,_ Soujiro said in his mind. He slowly allowed his sapphire orbs to drift toward the redhead next to him, _Because of you; my dear friend is starting to smile a true smile; something that I haven't seen in a long time._ Soujiro's brief joyful thought was cut when he noticed a scowl appear on Kenshin's face.

Changing his sight, he saw the source of Kenshin's displeasure. There, sitting next to Kaoru was Tomoe. She was currently engrossing herself into the conversation between Misao and Kaoru. Soon after, she was a part of their conversation while her lips moved in response.

Soujiro unconsciously frowned. "She's up to something," he said. Kenshin nodded in agreement.

There was something in the way she acted towards Kaoru that didn't seem right…

Turning her head slightly, Kaoru gave Kenshin a quick smile before turning her head back to the front as Professor Shishio entered the room.

"You all better have enjoyed your weekend because I'm going to work you like cattle for the next five months. You may think it's a little early to start thinking about the finals, but I want you all to ace your science final. How well you do on that exam determines how good of a teacher I am, and I am a _great_ teacher. I don't care how well you do on your other exams, just as long as you ace this one. So you pigs better pay attention or I'll be sure to have those who don't ace the exam clip my toenails _and_ wax my back over the summer," said Shishio.

Everyone inwardly shivered, especially Sano and Megumi. If they thought that clipping his toenails was bad, imagining what it would be like if they had to clip his toenails _and _wax his back was enough to turn anybody's stomach.

"Now, we'll be starting chemistry today so take out your chemistry textbooks and turn to page twenty-one," ordered Shishio.

Everyone did as they were told and soon they found themselves exploring the wonderful world of the periodic table.

---

After a few more classes, the clock struck noon and the students were dismissed for lunch. Kenshin walked out of the social studies classroom, followed by Sano, Soujiro and Aoshi.

Due to a change in the new semester, Kenshin found himself in a few different classes than Kaoru. While they would both be in the same class for the core subjects, like math, science, social studies, and English, they were both in different options. When he had Foods; she had Financial Management, when he had Photography; she had Art, and when he had Design studies, she had Mechanics.

The last option that Kaoru chose had always perplexed Kenshin. No doubt Kaoru had a tomboy side, but the fact that she didn't mind getting herself covered in grease and oil sometimes made Kenshin wonder. She was definitely different from all the other girls, with the exception of her two close friends.

The group of four boys stood at the side of the door while the rest of the students flooded out to enjoy their break. Aoshi stood next to Soujiro and Sano, who were bickering about today's lunch menu.

"Hmm, should I get the 'usual'? Or maybe I should get a salad… nah, too light. I know! I'll get chili! But wait… Megumi is always complaining that that stuff makes me gassy. I don't know… what do _you_ think Sou?" asked Sano.

Soujiro quickly shot an amused expression to Kenshin, who returned a similar smirk. He turned his attention back to the pondering Sano who currently had his right index finger pressed against his lips and his eyes cast heavenward in thought.

"I think you should have Megumi," replied Soujiro with a smirk.

Unfortunately, Sano was too caught up in his own thoughts to hear what Soujiro said. After realizing that his shorter companion said something, he mumbled, "Huh? What did you say?"

"Nevermind," Soujiro waved his hand as though brushing away Sano's curiosity. Sano gave him a suspicious stare before averting his attention to a person currently walking out the classroom door.

As if feeling his gaze, Megumi looked up. An irritated expression made its way to her face as she retorted, "What do want now rooster? Is it money? Homework? Hair gel? Because you know what; my answer is going to be the same as always, 'No!'"

Kenshin and Soujiro couldn't help but smirk. Although Megumi had been in their class for the past few months, they had never really witnessed her witty character. Yet, now from hearing her smart remarks and seeing her up close, they could see why Sano was attracted to her.

They had to admit, Megumi was something else. She definitely could have become one of those popular preppy girls obsessed with shopping and boys, yet she instead chose to be a sophisticated young woman with smarts in the medical department.

"Well… what is it?" hissed Megumi as she narrowed her dark eyes at Sano who seemed as though he was in a trance. Rolling her eyes heavenward, she kicked him in the shin.

"Ouch!" yelped Sano as he doubled over to clutch his wounded leg. Soujiro and Kenshin broke out in a chuckle, while Aoshi arched his brow.

"Stupid rooster," muttered Megumi as she continued her way past him, shortly after followed by Misao and Kaoru.

Kenshin took that chance to grab Kaoru's elbow and pull her close so that his mouth was near her ear.

"Where do you want to eat lunch?" he whispered; his warm breath tickling her ear.

Kaoru gave out a soft, delighted giggle at the feel of his breath, "well, actually I-"

"I'm ready to go, Kaoru," a voice said from behind Kenshin.

Immediately he whizzed around and shot a small glare at the girl standing before him. Tomoe was unfazed by his deathly expression and simply stared back at him with an emotionless face.

"Actually, I'm going out with the girls for lunch. I promised Tomoe last week that I would show her that Italian restaurant a couple blocks from the school. They have really good lasagna," said Kaoru from Kenshin's side. She was oblivious to the heated intent resonating from Kenshin to the dark eyed girl in front of him.

"Oh!" exclaimed Kaoru as she slapped her hand to her forehead, causing Kenshin to reluctantly shift his gaze from Tomoe to Kaoru. "How rude of me, Tomoe, this is Kenshin Himura. I should have introduced you earlier."

"Hello, Himura-san," spoke Tomoe with ease.

"Hi," gritted Kenshin through his teeth. Kaoru watched from the side, the odd chemistry between the two. They were supposed to shake hands now, right?

As though reading her mind, the two 'strangers' brought up their hands at the same time and shook. A smile graced Kaoru's lips at the sight.

"Can we go now?" asked Misao impatiently as she hopped from foot to foot. It was like Misao to always be moving.

"Aa," replied Tomoe as she slipped her hand out of Kenshin's and stepped toward Kaoru. Kenshin had to fight the urge to step in front of Kaoru defensively, but he knew if he did that than Kaoru would wonder why. He also knew that he had to tell Kaoru about Tomoe soon, but he just hated to see her upset.

"I'll see you later," whispered Kaoru in Kenshin's ear before placing a peck on his cheek and hurrying after her friends who had begun walking down the hall.

Kenshin fisted his right hand as he brought it up towards his face. After a long moment, he relaxed his hand and opened it.

There, scrunched up on a small piece of paper were the words that read,

_Rooftop, after school._

A tense atmosphere cloaked the empty hallway, mind the four boys. Aoshi's eyes were closed in deep thought, Soujiro was looking in the direction the four girls disappeared down, and Kenshin was busy glaring at the crumbled paper in his hand.

Sano finished rubbing his sore shin and stood up straight. Taking in his companions' aloof expressions, he quirked his left eyebrow. _What just happened?_

"So…" started Sano, breaking the intense silence. Soujiro blinked out of his stupor and turned to the tall brunette. Kenshin jolted straight as though he just woke up from a nightmare. And Aoshi, his body unmoving, opened his icy orbs.

Seeing that he caught his friends' attention, he cleared his throat to speak.

"Yeah, uh… what's for lunch?"

---

It was now last period and Kaoru found herself in Mechanics with Sano. It was odd how she became friends with the goofy rooster before Kenshin, who she was now technically 'going-out' with.

In the beginning, Kaoru new that Sano was different from Kenshin; that being because he appeared to smile more often and he even talked to Dexter, the gross-looking guy who sat in the back corner and picked his nose when he thought no one was looking.

She never knew the story of why Kenshin was so prejudice toward people who weren't 'popular', until recently when he told her over the weekend. She was sort of shocked to find that someone used him for her own benefit to gain popularity, which was the reason for his distrust towards others.

A small smile made its way to her lips. Kenshin had opened up to her and decided that she was more important than his stupid reputation. She didn't care how popular he was or how much money he had; she liked him for him. And nothing would change that.

"Oi!" a voice broke Kaoru out of her happy thoughts. Turning her blue eyes to the source of the voice, she came face to face with no other than Sano. "You ok? You seem a little out of it," his brows nitted together in concern.

"Oh… uh… yeah! I'm fine, I just blanked out for a minute," said Kaoru as she pasted a warm smile on her face.

"Well, ok. Kenshin would probably pound me if anything happened to you in Mechanics," said Sano as he turned back to the car that they were fixing together. A blush crept its way to Kaoru's cheeks as she absorbed what Sano said.

After allowing her cheeks to cool down, she placed her gloves on her hands, tied her apron around her waist, and followed the same procedures as Sano.

A few minutes passed by as they concentrated on giving the old car an engine check. The strangling silence was beginning to irritate Sano.

"Hey, Kaoru."

"Hmm?"

"Is… the fox seeing anybody right now?"

"Who?"

"Megumi." Kaoru paused and looked at Sano who had slightly flushed cheeks.

"Well…" Kaoru spoke as she turned her attention back to the automobile, "I don't believe she is. The last time I checked she was single."

"Ah…"

Another space of silence filled the air while they worked away.

"… Is she interested in anybody?"

"I suppose there might be someone…"

"Like whom?" he blurted out, maybe a little too fast.

"She told me that she liked him around the start of the year," replied Kaoru as an evil smile twitched at her lips.

"Who is it?"

"Why do you want to know?" questioned Kaoru.

"Just out of curiosity," replied Sano as he began fixing some of the oil tubes. The evil grin on Kaoru's face widened.

"Aoshi," she said.

Immediately a ton of oil exploded out of from under the hood and Kaoru quickly ducked to avoid being hit. Once she was sure that there was no more oil, she stood up and bit her lip to suppress a laugh. Sano's entire front was covered in black oil, especially his hair and face.

"Megumi… likes… Aoshi?" he muttered to himself in a low tone, loud enough for only Kaoru to hear.

"Oh! You meant _Megumi._ I thought you said _Misao. _Silly me!" exclaimed Kaoru as a few giggles escaped her lips.

Sano slowly turned his head to look at Kaoru in disbelief.

"So… Megumi _doesn't _like Aoshi?" asked Sano with his eyes still wide open.

Kaoru shook her head before saying, "Nah… she said that he's too reserved for her tastes. Besides, Misao already staked her claim on him; she'd probably murder any girl who tries anything on him."

"If Megumi doesn't like Aoshi, then…?" Sano asked hesitantly.

"I'm sorry, Sano. I'm sworn to secrecy, but… I can give you big hint," replied Kaoru, making Sano's face light up.

"Yes?"

Kaoru leaned in closer to him until her face was a foot away from his.

"He's kind of dumb," she stated simply.

Hearing this, Sano deflated. _Great, now I know it's **not** me, _pouted Sano in his head.

Kaoru inwardly smirked when she saw his expression.

_He **is **dumb._

_---_

The dismissal bell rang, causing the students to dash out of their classrooms in attempt to escape the Prison of Education.

Kenshin walked down a now empty hallway of the upper floor and made his way to a familiar door. Pushing it open, he was greeted with a flight of stairs. Once he finished making his way up the steps, he paused when he reached the door that separated him and the person he dearly loathed.

The only source of light was the small lines that traced the outline of the door. Closing his eyes, he inhaled a deep breath. Keeping it in, he opened his eyes with a determined glint to them.

Pushing the door open, bright rays of sunshine flooded his vision. As his eyes adjusted to the change, he focused them to a figure standing on the far side of the roof. Still with his determined expression, he began to walk toward the female.

He stopped when he was five meters away from Tomoe. He stood facing her while she continued to face the fence that separated her from a potential death. She just stared out over the school grounds with her usual emotionless face.

"So you came," she started, "I'm glad. There is something that must tell you; it's about that time."

Kenshin shrugged and looked away, "Whatever," he muttered.

"I didn't mean to hurt you that much. I just thought it would be better for the both of us if…"

"If what? If you played with me like a toy and threw me in the trash when you got bored?" hissed Kenshin as he tried to control his anger.

"Yes," she replied. Before Kenshin could retort back, she continued, "What is more important to you Kenshin? Your pride? Or your reputation?"

He eyed her in a mix of anger, frustration, curiosity, and confusion.

"It's your pride isn't it?" she answered for him.

The anger was slowly disappearing and was being replaced by curiosity. He nodded his head; to answer her question and to urge her to continue.

"I did love you, Kenshin, I truly did. Yet, after a while I realized something about me that I knew would hurt you. That "realization" led me to determine that we could no longer be together romantically. But I knew that you would not let me go so easily if I just dumped you and left. You're a man who seeks reason and answer. So… I had no other choice but to find a way to hurt you; make you detest me, loath me, and hate me.

"I knew that you treasured your pride before your reputation. It would have ripped my heart knowing that your spirit was broken because of me, so I decided that breaking your reputation was best. Yes, I crushed your reputation at that school and I may have crushed your pride a little, but at least I crushed it in an honorable manner for your sake."

Kenshin bowed his curious head, taking in the words. It still did not make sense to him. He did not understand why she did what she did. What was she even talking about? What did she mean?

Tomoe continued before he had the chance to ask her any questions.

"Kenshin, I wanted to hurt your reputation instead of your pride because…"

---

Ok, I know you people probably want to kill me right now; I finally update and I leave you with a cliffhanger. Mwahahahahahaha! OMG! I am such a cow aren't I? I really shouldn't be so cruel…

Anyway, just to let you guys know, I have no knowledge about cars whatsoever. I don't know if there are any oil tubes underneath the hood. But please do not get on my case about it in your review. Alright? Just bare with me here!

Also, in the next chapter you will find out why Tomoe intentionally hurt Kenshin. I also hope that you guys liked this chapter. I know that it's practically been five months since my last update, but it took me a while to finally get some inspiration on this story. Sometimes I wish that I could update every week like some authors, but I can't. I will try my best though to update as soon as I can.

I apologize for any spelling and grammatical errors. I tried to find as many as I could.

Anyway, PLEASE LEAVE A NICE HEALTHY REVIEW FOR ME! THAT WOULD BE VERY NICE!


	16. Reason

Underneath It All

Chapter 15: Reason

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin

Recap of the last chapter:

Kenshin bowed his curious head, taking in the words. It still did not make sense to him. He did not understand why she did what she did. What was she even talking about? What did she mean?

Tomoe continued before he had the chance to ask her any questions.

"Kenshin, I wanted to hurt your reputation instead of your pride because…"

---

Kenshin held his breath as he prepared himself for what Tomoe was about to say. Whatever her reasoning was, he did not care. There was nothing in the world that could compare with the hurt that he'd felt when she had crushed his heart. He was going to argue at and condemn her until she was _begging_ on her knees for his forgiveness.

He clenched his jaw in preparation for his long upbraid.

"I'm a lesbian," Tomoe stated clearly and seriously.

Kenshin looked daft.

A good minute passed by with the wind blowing through their hair, ruffling their school uniforms, and chilling their skin. Kenshin stood stationary on his spot, his mind absolutely blank of his little "ranting" plan.

Tomoe looked directly at him, her dark eyes never shifting from their target. She would not open her mouth under he showed some sign that he had heard her.

A shocked, confused exhale was the response she wound up receiving.

"So, Kenshin. What is more important to you? Your pride, or your reputation?" the question came once again from Tomoe's red lips.

Kenshin bowed his head slightly in thought, his eyes staring down at the ground. Tomoe observed him patiently, allowing him as much time as he needed to ponder over the information. She knew that he was a smart man; he would be able to link it bit by bit until he formed the puzzle.

Everything was starting now to make sense to him. Tomoe had realized that she was a lesbian while she was going out with him. _He _was what helped her come out of the closet. Goodness! Tomoe had realized that she liked women instead of men through him. Perhaps she saw his more feminine aspects more appealing than his masculine attributes. That's probably how she discovered her attraction to women; she saw him more as a girl than a boy!

Kenshin's mouth dropped open. The worst way to injure a man is through his male pride. It definitely would have been a great insult to him knowing that he was seen as being feminine enough to make his girlfriend find that she was more attracted to other girls instead of boys. A great insult indeed.

He had always thought of himself as being a noble, strong-willed, handsome man. Tomoe knew that perfectly well. That's why she chose instead to go after his reputation.

After seeing and comprehending the information clearly, Kenshin realized that he would have agreed with Tomoe's choice of target, had he known. Reputation; what other people thought of him, was not as important as pride; ones' personal sense of his own value.

He… finally understood.

His eyes slowly trailed up to meet Tomoe's dark brown orbs. Their eyes stared at each other's with impassiveness. Who was going to bring up conversation, Tomoe planned on having Kenshin do the honors.

He averted his eyes as he opened his mouth. No words came out and he closed it again, trying to find the right words to say for the current situation. It was definitely a struggle for him; he was not really one to apologize. A man wasn't supposed to apologize, or so he had believed.

Kenshin closed his eyes, allowing a sigh to escape his lips before the corners of his mouth tugged up into a smile. _A man isn't supposed to apologize, hm? _Then again, if he was able to make a woman realize that she was a lesbian, that wouldn't really quite make him a _full _man. That thought would have spooked him out had he been a year in the past. However, he was not one year in the past. That thought made him somewhat content.

He opened his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Tomoe."

She smiled back.

---

Alright, I know what you're all saying, 'WTF! IT'S SO SHORT!'. But frankly, I'm not really in the mood to care right now. I know that I haven't undated for a very long time, but I have other priorities to deal with, y'know?

I was concentrating a lot on my other fanfic, "Waves of Love", and I have been trying to find some new ways to schedule my time for my other stories. However, I'm finding it harder then I thought. Aside from coming up with inspiration, I have to deal with school; High School to be precise. I have also been trying to find a job where my employer isn't a parent. I worked at my dad's store for a while, but recently he got punched in the nose by a customer, so I quit. I like my face thank you very much! Anyway, I applied for a Starbucks not that far from my house and I got the job. Hehe. I'm kind of excited for it! I love Starbucks and their uniform isn't that bad looking (I know, I'm shallow)

Anyway, to sum it up; I've been very busy and I have a feeling that's not going to change much. I'm going to try to finish this story as soon as possible so that I can concentrate more on my other stories.

I'm not sure when my next update will be (hopefully by Christmas time), but I do promise one thing: Since this chapter was uber short, I'll make the next chapter just as long as chapter 14 (and I know that chapter was very long!). That's my compromise.

Oh, guess what? It's my birthday tomorrow!

DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! I'D LIKE TO KNOW THAT YOU PEOPLE STILL LIKE THIS STORY! AND IT WOULD BE A VERY LOVELY BIRTHDAY PRESENT!


	17. I'll Tell You

Underneath It All

Chapter 16: I'll Tell You

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin

Recap of the last chapter: Kenshin closed his eyes, allowing a sigh to escape his lips before the corners of his mouth tugged up into a smile. _A man isn't supposed to apologize, hm? _Then again, if he was able to make a woman realize that she was a lesbian, that wouldn't really quite make him a _full _man. That thought would have spooked him out had he been a year in the past. However, he was not one year in the past. That thought made him somewhat content.

He opened his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Tomoe."

She smiled back.

---

Grand, raven tresses blew slightly in the soft wind, brushing her face like a silky caress. Her sapphire blue eyes wandered aimlessly across the school ground, watching as the last small flood of students retired to the buses. Slowly, her eyes made their way back to the front doors; the place they were originally settled on.

Her back rested softly against the rough surface of a tree, making sure not to snag the fabric of her jacket. She let out a sigh.

Fifteen minutes passed by after the rush and she closed her eyes. A slight twitch made its way to her left eyebrow. Her patience had its boundaries and surely Kenshin already knew that. So why did he intend on provoking it so?

She repeated a small message in her head for the third time. However, she knew that if she had to repeat it a fourth time she would throw a tantrum at the annoying quote.

_Patience is a virtue._

She had said that ten minutes ago when the first five minutes had passed. She had also said that five minutes ago when the first ten minutes had passed. She just said it again at that moment.

"I'll wait another five minutes. If he's not here by then, then I'm just going to have to knock some sense into him the next time I see him. Geez, he's already made me wait fifteen minutes," muttered Kaoru.

The sound of the front doors opening caught Kaoru's attention as she snapped her eyes open and looked in the direction of the sound. A familiar patch of red hair walked through the doors and down the front steps.

Kenshin had a small smile on his face, as though some small burden had left his mind after a long time. He kept his eyes closed as if he were embracing this newfound feeling.

As he felt his foot touch the final step he opened his eyes.

He was greeted by the heavy feel of Kaoru's backpack on his face. The weight of the textbooks and binders inside of the pack threw his balance off and the next thing he new his behind made contact with the hard cement.

"Kenshin no baka! Do you have any idea how long I waited? You know that I don't like to be kept waiting!" exclaimed Kaoru as she stomped over to him.

Kenshin rubbed his sore face as he sat up from his spot. "Sorry, I needed to talk to someone."

Kaoru rolled her eyes heavenward and gave a small pout. "Why didn't you tell me earlier then? That way I wouldn't have thrown my backpack at you," Kaoru said as she knelt down to look at his tender nose. Had she known her own strength she wouldn't have thrown it directly at the middle of his face. His nose was a little red and a small trail of blood was already beginning to flow down.

Taking out a tissue she began to dab at the blood. Kenshin let out a small grunt when she accidentally went at the wound a little too hard.

"Sorry," she replied as she continued to try and stop the blood flow. "We should get you to Megumi. She headed down to the clinic earlier after school so she should be able to help your wound."

"Yeah…" Kenshin said as he looked at Kaoru with his intriguing purple eyes. Kaoru paused from her movement when she felt his gaze and looked back at him. She moved her face closer slowly to avoid hitting his nose. Pressing her lips delicately onto his, she closed her eyes. Kenshin watched her the whole time before returning the kiss to her.

Backing away shortly after, Kaoru bowed her head and apologized again for his nose. Kenshin smiled and stroked her cheek to reassure her that he forgave her.

Meanwhile, Tomoe watched from inside the front doors of the school.

"Well done, Kenshin. Well done."

---

"It's a good thing that the clinic isn't too far away from the school, otherwise your nose would've bled a river by the time we'd get there," commented Kaoru

"Yeah… what do you have in that backpack anyway? It felt like more than the usual textbook and binder load," asked Kenshin as he smiled while they continued to make their way to the clinic.

A small flush appeared on Kaoru's cheeks as her expression turned into one of shock. Kenshin immediately noticed this and began to question.

"Kaoru? What is it? What's wrong?"

"N-nothing!" Kaoru stuttered, snapping out of her shocked state.

Kenshin quirked his eyebrow. Readying himself to plummet her with questions, Kenshin opened his mouth. However, before he could even inhale a breath, Kaoru blurted out, "Oh my gosh! Look! There's the clinic, let's go Kenshin!"

She grabbed his wrist and hurried toward the entrance of the clinic. The lady at the front desk looked up from her papers as Kaoru burst through the door with Kenshin still grasping his nose while she dragged him along.

"May I help yo-"

"Is Megumi around? I'm her best friend and I need her look at him," interrupted Kaoru as she nodded her head toward Kenshin. The lady turned her eyes from Kaoru to Kenshin, taking in his broken-nose appearance. She let out a sigh and rubbed her temples.

"I'm sorry, but Ms. Tanaka is busy looking after a young man right now. He came in ten minutes ago with a 'sore back'. I'm afraid you'll have to wait your turn. However, for now I'll just take your name and you can sit and wait your turn," replied the desk lady.

_Sore back?_ Thought Kaoru. Something clicked in Kaoru's head.

"Excuse, but could we please have the name of the person with the sore back?" asked Kaoru. Both Kenshin and the lady looked at Kaoru with strange looks.

"Umm… and why would you need to know that?" asked the lady, a hint of suspicion in her expression.

Kaoru's eye twitched; the front desk lady was really starting to get on her nerves.

"I just would like know if the person is who I think it is, that's all," said Kaoru, forcing on a smile.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot give you that information. Such a request goes against policy," sneered the lady. "Now, if you please, sit down and wait your turn."

Kaoru glared at the woman as she turned her attention back to her paperwork.

"Fine!" Kaoru sneered back as she grabbed Kenshin's hand and led him away.

She turned her head back to look at the lady to find that her attention was on her paperwork. She tilted her head close to Kenshin.

"Follow me," she whispered as they turned into a different direction away from the seating area and down into a small hallway. They made their way to a room where the label on the door read: Tanaka.

"This is Megumi's room. Normally, there's a different woman at the front desk who usually lets me in without a schedule. It seems as though the clinic has been hiring some uptight old hags lately," muttered Kaoru.

Kenshin felt himself smile at her spunky attitude. Kaoru was always a girl who did things her way if she didn't like the way things were run.

Grabbing the door knob, Kaoru swung the door open. Her and Kenshin were greeted with the sight of a shirtless Sano sitting on the edge of the clinic bed kissing Megumi, who was standing up-close on her tippy-toes to reach his lips.

The intrusion caused both of them to break apart suddenly and snap their heads to the door. Their eyes widened at the sight of them and their mouths gaped open.

Unsure of what to do, Megumi opened and close her mouth, switched her eyes back and forth between the two at the door and Sanosuke. She did the only thing she could think of at the time.

She slapped him.

With a huff, she marched past the two at the door and down the hall, leaving a stunned Sano, a confused Kenshin, and a smirking Kaoru.

"I take you found out who she likes?" asked Kaoru. Sano flushed slightly before forming a dashing smile.

"Yeah… I didn't think that I was the 'dumb one' you were talking about," Sano laughed. "Guess I am pretty dumb after all."

Grabbing his shirt, Sano smiled to himself as he put it on. Kenshin opened his mouth, forming a small 'o', showing that he finally realized the situation.

By the time Sano finished adjusting his shirt, Megumi walked in between Kaoru and Kenshin, pulling on a pair of white, rubber gloves.

"Sit on the bed please, Kenshin," Megumi ordered professionally. "Sanosuke Sagara, you may leave now," she said toward Sano while never turning her gaze to him.

"I'll bet his back is feeling much better now," teased Kaoru as she stuck out her tongue. Both Sano and Megumi flushed. However, Sano gave an awkward grin while Megumi shot a death glare at Kaoru.

"You may wait outside as well, Kaoru, while I patch up Kenshin's nose," hissed Megumi. Kaoru shot a smile back at her.

"I'll just be waiting in the seating area, ok Kenshin?" said Kaoru. Kenshin gave a small grunt as Megumi began inspecting his nose.

Sano brushed past Kaoru and out into the hall. Kaoru took in one last sight of Kenshin before following the taller person out the door, not forgetting to close the door behind her.

She picked up her pace a bit until she was striding beside Sanosuke. They walked in silence down the hall until they came upon the seating area. Kaoru took a seat in the closest chair. Sano sat down in the seat next to her. A long minute passed by before Kaoru found that she didn't like the sound of nothing.

"So… what happened?" started Kaoru.

"Hm?" asked Sano, not hearing her the first time.

"What did you do? I mean, how did you…?" Kaoru trailed off.

"Oh! Well… you see, after you told me that she was interested in someone, I wanted to try and find someway for Megumi to be interested in me instead. Or at least, I wanted to tell her how I felt so that way she'd somehow see something in me that the other person didn't have," he broke off to chuckle to himself, "well, that was before I found out that I was 'that person'. Anyway, I came here to tell her – faking a sore back so that I could get past the lady in the front desk.

"Ah… Megumi seemed a little shocked in the beginning and at first I thought that she was disgusted that someone like me would even try to go after something exquisite like her. I felt discouraged after seeing her expression so I grabbed my shirt and I was about to get off the bed, but then she pushed me back and kissed me.

"It was even better than what I imagined it would be like… But then you and Kenshin walked through the door and spoiled the moment," Sano paused to shoot a playful glare at Kaoru.

"I'm sorry about that, Sano. Kenshin's nose was bleeding and I'm pretty sure something was broken. It really needed some good help and the only person I would trust with something like that would me Megumi," said Kaoru with an apologetic look on her face.

Sano gave a little pout at her before shrugging it off. "Yeah… well, don't do that again, alright?"

Kaoru giggled and nodded her head. Sano smiled back.

"Oh yeah, what happened to Kenshin's nose anyway?"

Kaoru's cheeks tinged pink a little.

"I... my backpack... you see..." she tried to explain, but drifted off in embarrassment. Sano gave asmall grunt to tell her that he understood what she was trying to say. Kaoru bowed her head slightly at him before turning her head to the front of her. Her head tilted downward and she stared at her hands in her lap.

The two sat in silence.

---

A half an hour later, Kenshin and Kaoru were walking out of the clinic. Kenshin's nose was bandaged heavily and Kaoru couldn't help but laugh mentally at the site of his face. After a minute, she found that she couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.

Kenshin shot a glare at her and Kaoru laughed even harder at his expression. With the big, white bandage plastered over the center of his face, the glare did not possess it's usual threatening effect. Thus, he looked absolutely hilarious.

Seeing Kaoru laugh even harder, Kenshin decided to stop glaring at her. He was intelligent enough to know that his glare was not working.

"You know, it's your fault I'm like this," muttered Kenshin, turning his attention to the road ahead. Kaoru's laughter died down gradually and a smile took its place.

"Well, if you hadn't taken so long I wouldn't have thrown my backpack at you. You know that I'm impatient," said Kaoru with a little twinkle in her eye.

Noticing that Kenshin wasn't really paying attention to her comment, Kaoru turned her face toward him. She took in his aloof expression and creased her brows in concern.

"What took you so long anyway?" asked Kaoru in a more casual tone, so as to not make the situation seem as serious as she hoped it would not be. She peered from the corner of her eye at his face and noticed no change. He did not answer her question. She fought the urge to pry it out of him; she knew that her question was one that Kenshin wanted to answer thoroughly, otherwise, he would have blurted out his reason right away.That thought made hereyebrows wrinkle slightly; he was about to tell her something serious.

They continued walking in silence for a couple blocks before Kenshin made any sign of his confession.

He suddenly halted on a spot underneath a landpost next to a park. That move jerked Kaoru out of her small daze caused by the repetitive action of walking down the street. Since she had walked a couple steps after Kenshin had stopped, she had to turn around to face him.

"Kenshin?" asked Kaoru, not moving from her spot.

She watched as Kenshin stared at the ground, his purple eyes partially hidden under the fall of his bangs. She said his name again. This time he inhaled a deep breath. However, instead of letting it out right away, he kept it in as he looked up at her. Something in his eyes shot a pang inside her, it hurt.

"That girl..." Kenshin started. Kaoru gave a confused expression at his words. "the one who was my first love..."

Suddenly Kaoru's eyes widened and she felt herself grow short of breath, but she did not express it openly; it just looked as though she just stiffened from a sudden chill in the air. However, inside, her heart was beating erratically that it was thumping in her ear.

"I talked with her after school," continued Kenshin as he watched Kaoru. He could see her chest move as she tried to manage to breath properly.

"How did you see her? Does she go to our school? Who is she?" Kaoru blurted and choked out at the same time.

Kenshin paused a moment before answering.

"The girl I used to love... is Tomoe."

Kaoru's eyes widened in shock. The feeling of worry that Kenshin was going to leave her for his first love dissipitated and was instead replaced with outrage.

"Tomoe? She... she was the one who... who broke your heart? Don't tell me she wants to get back with you now!" exclaimed Kaoru. She cursed at herself when she heard her voice crack.

"No," was all Kenshin said. Kenshin looked him in the eye with anger.

"No? Then what? What were you talking about? What did she tell you?" spat Kaoru.

Kenshin's brows raised as he watched as she grew upset by the second. He let out a breath and strode over to her. He opened his arms to hold her, but she backed away.

"Tell me!What did she want with you!"

Kenshin reached for her again, and again she tried to back away, but he wouldn't let her. She began to push at his chest and hissed at him to let her go, but he wouldn't.

"Don't worry, nothing is going to happen between me and Tomoe. She's a lesbian, Kaoru," hushed Kenshin. Kaoru stopped struggling and froze. After a couple of seconds of letting the information sink in, Kaoru pulled her head back to look him in the face.

"She's a what?" breathed Kaoru.

"A lesbian, Kaoru, a lesbian. Tomoe is a lesbian," repeated Kenshin. Kaoru stared at him in disbelief with eyes as big as saucers.

"No way..."

"It's true. You see, that's why she broke my heart the way she did. She didn't want to hurt my pride by telling everyone that she realized she was a lesbian while she dated me. She found that she liked my feminine characteristics more appealing than my masculine ones..." explained Kenshin. Kaoru stared at him with those sapphire eyes in shock.

As she connected the dots, she found herself becoming amused with what Kenshin just told her. She had to admit it was pretty funny.

Kenshin groaned internally as he watched Kaoru's expression turn from shock to amusement. He closed his eyes while letting out a sigh and Kaoru burst out giggling.

He waited patiently for her giggles to subside for the next minute. Once they died down, Kaoru took him by surprise and embraced him tightly.

"Oh... Kenshin. Take me home," sighed Kaoru with a hint of laughter.

Kenshin gave a weird expression; Kaoru never ceased toconfuse him.

* * *

Alright, there'schapter sixteen. Ugh... I am absolutely the worst updater ever. Although I do have an excuse! I actually had this chapter all typed up and ready to be posted a month and a half ago.

The thing is, the week I finished typing the chapter,the internet connection started going haywire and absolutely refused to cooperate. The week after that, it still wasn't working so we sent it in for repairs. Halfway through that week,our computer started acting funny; I would be in the middle of doing something and it would just crash and crash and crash! My mom sent it in as well to get repairs at Futureshop. They said that it would be finished by the end of the week!

Those bastards lied! When we came by after a week to pick it up, they hadn't even started on it! So we left and came back a week later. They still hadn't started on it! Ugh... so... my mom began bitching and complaining at them for not living up to their word. They apologized and said that many people had been coming in with broken computers as well so they werebeen busy trying to repair all of them. After they said that, I was a bit more understanding.

So anyway, after two more weeks, our computer was finally repaired. It turned out that my computer had TWENTY VIRUSES! The reason behind that is because my mom tried to install another Norton Antivirus program into the computer while it already had one in it. The thing is, my mom knows nothing about computers, so... the two Norton Antivirus programs kind of cancelled each other out. I don't quite understand the situation myself, but that's what my sister learned from this guy. So... when she did that the computer wound up being absolutely weak against viruses.

So a valuable lesson learnt: DO NOT LET YOUR COMPUTER-INCOMPETENT MOTHER NEAR THE COMPUTER!

Well... since I'm done my explanation, here's news about my stories:

The next chapter of Underneath It All will be the last chapter!Kenshin's struggle was finally been resolved so now I just need to conclude the story. I'm sad to say that I will miss this story, but at the same time I'm happy to be finally finished it. It's been such a long timesince I've startedthis story.

Also, I will be trying to update Sweet Seduction next and then Waves of Love after that. I'm not sure when I'll be able to since I have threesubjects this semester and a job I have to juggleon the other side. So... yeah!But I will try to update as soon as I have somefree time to actually compose agood enough chapter for you guys.

That'spretty much it!

Toodles! DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!


	18. Underneath it All

Underneath It All

Chapter 17: Underneath it All

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin

Recap of the last chapter:

"She's a what?" breathed Kaoru.

"A lesbian, Kaoru, a lesbian. Tomoe is a lesbian," repeated Kenshin. Kaoru stared at him in disbelief with eyes as big as saucers.

"No way..."

"It's true. You see, that's why she broke my heart the way she did. She didn't want to hurt my pride by telling everyone that she realized she was a lesbian while she dated me. She found that she liked my feminine characteristics more appealing than my masculine ones..." explained Kenshin. Kaoru stared at him with those sapphire eyes in shock.

As she connected the dots, she found herself becoming amused with what Kenshin just told her. She had to admit it was pretty funny.

Kenshin groaned internally as he watched Kaoru's expression turn from shock to amusement. He closed his eyes while letting out a sigh and Kaoru burst out giggling.

He waited patiently for her giggles to subside for the next minute. Once they died down, Kaoru took him by surprise and embraced him tightly.

"Oh... Kenshin. Take me home," sighed Kaoru with a hint of laughter.

Kenshin gave a weird expression; Kaoru never ceased to confuse him.

---

_Tick. Tick. Tick._

Random eyes darted anxiously back and forth. More than half the owners of these eyes were paying attention to the authoritative figure lecturing at the front of the room.

_Lord, the time was going by so **slow.**_

Every now and then, someone would fidget in his seat, causing the chair to squeak against the flat tiles on the ground. A cough from another person would follow from across the room. One person at the back of the room would then start rapping her pen on the desk top out of impatience.

Although the figure lecturing at the front of the room witnessed all of these disturbances, he chose to remain impassive and continue his lecture. He wouldn't torture them now; that was what his summer homework would do.

An evil cackle echoed in his head. _Those poor bastards._

"Professor Shishio?" A voice caught him off guard.

He directed his gaze to the owner of the voice. "What do you want Seta?"

Soujiro smiled his usual smile. However, his slightly quirked eyebrow showed his uneasiness.

"We were just wondering why you started cackling. It was rather… disturbing," Soujiro answered. He thought about how he should have been used to questioning his scary sensei on behalf of his fellow classmates since he had been the messenger for the whole year, yet he was still timid whenever he had to do the troublesome task.

Shishio, on the other hand, thought about something else; how he had accidentally blurted out what was going on in his head without realizing it. He mentally punched himself.

Instead of replying back to the class with an exuberant, rude remark, he stared at them before grabbing a pile of papers from behind his filing cabinet and placing the pile next to him.

The class just gaped.

The pile was taller than the professor himself.

Shishio beamed with satisfaction as he began ordering the students one-by-one to pick up their homework packages.

However, before the first student could stand up from his desk, the most beautiful sound in the world at that moment was heard.

The dismissal bell.

Before Shishio could order the students to sit back down, every single chair was empty. His eyebrow twitched.

He swore that next year he would break that damn bell.

---

The sound of a familiar laugh caught Kaoru's ear. She turned and smiled at the scene.

Misao was giggling at one of Soujiro's jokes as she latched onto Aoshi's arm as he walked indifferently next to her. Misao's laugh was choppy, due to the short amount of breath she was getting. It was a hilarious sound to Kaoru. Misao was breathing hard since she was walking quickly to keep up with Aoshi's stride, which happened to equal three of hers.

Kaoru guessed that Aoshi noticed Misao's condition because he slowed his pace so that she could catch enough air. That action made Kaoru smile. Although Aoshi always came off as being an impassive person, he always showed at least some sort of affection toward the little lady walking next to him. A stranger probably would not have noticed the difference, but Kaoru sure did. Subtle or not, the way Aoshi acted whenever he was around Misao did not faze Kaoru from seeing how much he really cared for her petite friend.

Kaoru let out a small giggle before turning back to the front of her. Megumi and Sano were bickering, again, and Kaoru let out a smirk. From the corner of her eye she could she the small twitch coming from Kenshin's mouth. Both he and she found the other couple's way of expressing their love absolutely amusing.

Throughout each of their arguments they would be holding hands. Whenever Sano would say something that Megumi couldn't find the answer to she would slap the back of his occupied hand with her unlatched hand. That action would be followed by the "Baka Rooster-head" scold. Sano would then try to slap the back of her hand, but would be unsuccessful because she would grab him by the ear and give a sharp tug. That would leave him with nothing else to do but admit defeat and rub his ear. After that they would walk in silent for a couple steps before repeating the whole cycle again.

Big, sapphire eyes twinkled. This year was definitely a year she would never forget. From what first appeared to be the worst year of her life, turned out to be a year of memories that she would treasure for the rest of time.

Kenshin caught Kaoru's serene expression from the corner of his eye. He then focused the rest of his attention on her.

She really was the most exquisite thing to have ever come into his life. When he first met her he would have never have thought of her the way he did now. Back then he was based on stereotypes and superficial judgments. It all went into a dramatic turning point when he met her. He no longer cared about being popular, having a popular girlfriend, or caring about what people thought of him.

She had helped him see that there was so much more to it than that.

Kaoru felt Kenshin's stare and turned to look at him. She paused all movements and gave him her full attention. Misao, Aoshi, and Soujiro walked past them as though they didn't even notice their sudden halt. Misao's quirky laugher was the last thing to echo down the street.

"What is it Kenshin?" Kaoru asked as she tilted her head and creased her eyebrows in concern. He was staring so intently at her.

Kaoru let out a little startled breath as he held her chin and planted a soft, gentle, yet tender kiss on her lips. Kaoru closed her eyes at the warmth of his lips on hers. Kenshin ended the kiss a short while after and backed away. He had a very affectionate expression in his eyes. Kaoru was astonished at the intensity of his gaze.

"Kaoru…"

He moved into a warm, tender embrace. Kaoru blinked a couple times, a little confused about why he was acting this way.

He inhaled a long, deep breath of her jasmine scent.

Kenshin held her tighter. He took in the feel of her hair and the creamy smoothness of her skin. He took in the fit of her body with his and the cozy heat radiating from her surface.

Closing his eyes he thought about the sound of her laughter, the small hiss at the back of her throat when she was mad, and tenderness in her voice when she would say his name. The tilt of her head to the side when she was confused or concerned, the jut of her jaw when she would get defensive, and the relaxed muscles of her face when she was asleep. The shine of those sapphire orbs when she would be happy, the cloudiness in them when she would be sad, and the sparks shooting out when she would be angry.

All those thoughts brought a content smile to his lips.

She showed him that there was more to it than just the surface; the surface of life, the surface of people, the surface everything.

There was so much more underneath it all.

"Thank you."

He exhaled.

* * *

Oh my gosh… I… I'm done…!

I can't believe it! I finally finished it! Hahaha! I'm finished! It so damn long, but I'm finished!

Oh gosh, please review. The wait may have been long, but please tell me if this ending was worth it. It's the first ending I've really ever written and I need to know if it was decent enough.

Thank you all for enduring this story with me. There may have been rough times, but I'm so happy that I made it through. Thank you all for your support!

Don't forget to review and check out my other stories as well.

Love,

Dev


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